From costume ideas to trick-or-treating strategies, Scaredy Squirrel helps readers plan for the spookiest night of the year! Scaredy Squirrel Prepares for Halloween is the second in a series of nutty safety guides featuring everyone's favourite worrywart. And Scaredy was kind enough to take some time away from his preparations to answer our most burning questions (with a fire extinguisher on hand, of course) about his new book and about his plans for Halloween. 

49th Shelf: Scaredy Squirrel, you’re afraid all year long, but at Halloween the world gets scary on purpose. Is this holiday extra frightening for you, or is it pretty much business as usual? 

Scaredy Squirrel: I, Scaredy Squirrel, feel it’s necessary to be extra prepared during the extra-frightening Halloween season. It’s the time of year for lighting candelabras, carving pumpkins, and crossing the road; only a small sampling of the hair-raising activities involved in the spookiest time of year.

49th Shelf: You mention in Scaredy Squirrel Prepares for Halloween that every kind of candy comes with its own pros and cons (for example, chocolate is delicious, but it tends to melt in the paw). Are you ever tempted to just stay home on Halloween? Is the candy worth the worry?

SS: It’s always tempting to stay home in the safety of my nut tree. However, if I never ventured out into the unknown I’d miss out on making new friends, experiencing a day at the beach, celebrating my birthday—and tasty Halloween treats! As long as I have a quality control system in place, I’m worry-free when it comes to candy.

49th Shelf: You had to do a lot of scary things in order to create your Halloween preparedness guide, such as tour a haunted house, read some ghost stories, carve a jack o’ lantern (with a plastic knife! That sounds tricky). Scaredy Squirrel, where do you find the courage?

SS: I find comfort in knowing that if things get too scary, I can always play dead. For two hours.

49th Shelf: You provide a plethora of great Halloween costume ideas in your guide whose effects range from unscary to terrifying. But have you settled on a final costume idea yet? What is your fine squirrel self planning to dress up as this year?

SS: That’s top secret! It’s been in the planning stages since June. Rest assured that it won’t involve a) a mask—too difficult to see; or b) a germ, shark or killer bee costume—too terrifying!

Happy Non-threatening Halloween!

Want to win your own Scaredy Squirrel Halloween Preparedness Guide? Leave a comment and let us know what scares YOU about Halloween for a chance to win. Deadline to enter is MIDNIGHT on OCTOBER 31st (which is a terrifying DEADline, no?).