• Age: 6 to 9
• Grade: 1 to 4

Scaredy Squirrel can't wait for Halloween, with its cute decorations, cheerful music . . . and NOTHING spooky. This funny early graphic novel about getting ready for Halloween and overcoming your fears is perfect for fans of Narwhal and Jelly.

Being scared is nothing new to Scaredy Squirrel in his fourth NUTTY ADVENTURE. That's why he's fully prepared for Halloween: bright lighting? Check. Adorable pumpkin décor? Check. Costumes? You bet. Ghosts, vampires and monsters? That's a big negative. And no trick-or-treating; Scaredy doesn't want to risk cracking a tooth! But with some gentle support and encouragement from his friends, Scaredy learns he can still have a good time and overcome his fears . . . and maybe even get a little spooky! (But just a little.)

La jeune auteure-illustratrice Mélanie Watt, née à Trois-Rivières, a remporté pour son travail de prestigieuses récompenses, dont le Prix Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz, le Prix Blue Spruce et le Prix Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon, tous les trois pour Frisson l'écureuil.

It was in a design class taught by Michèle Lemieux at the University of Quebec in Montreal that author and illustrator Mélanie Watt created her first picture book, Leon the Chameleon, which was later published by Kids Can Press. Watt went on to create several more books, including the Learning with Animals collection and Augustine, which was named an ALA Notable Children's Book. Watt has also illustrated Where Does a Tiger-Heron Spend the Night? and Bearcub and Mama, which won the 2006 IRA Teachers” Choices Project.

Mélanie's best known book, Scaredy Squirrel, has won many awards, including the Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children”s Book Award for Children”s Picture Book and the Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustrator”s Award. The release of Scaredy Squirrel Makes a Friend was met with enthusiastic reviews and incredible sales, confirming the arrival of kid lit's newest superstar. Chester, Chester's Back! and Chester's Masterpiece are about a megalomaniac cat who is every bit the antithesis to Scaredy. Chester has already become a bestseller, and shows the breadth and creativity of Mélanie Watt.

Scaredy returns to take a few more tentative steps out of his comfort zone in Scaredy Squirrel at the Beach and Scaredy Squirrel at Night. Mélanie has often noted how the Scaredy Squirrel books helped her work out her own insecurities and fears, as the success of these titles has required her to venture out into the unknown, and like Scaredy she has found the experience truly uplifting.

Mélanie currently resides near Montreal, Quebec.

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