• Age: 4 to 8
• Grade: p to 3
• Reading age: 4 to 8

We know by now that Scaredy Squirrel only feels safe when he's at home in his nut tree, with his defenses, his emergency kit and his back-up plans at the ready. So even though the sun is shining and it's time for a vacation, Scaredy does not want to go to the beach --- that vast, frightening place where a squirrel could get stranded. (Not to mention other hazards such as sea monsters, falling coconuts, seagulls, pirates and lobsters.)

Instead, Scaredy builds his own safe beach getaway under his nut tree, complete with germ-free inflatable pool, artificial beach scenery, a flashlight and a plastic flamingo.

Still, the lure of the genuine beach is strong --- even a dedicated homebody such as Scaredy can't resist it forever. Can his back-up plans save him from its perils? Will his No.65 sunscreen protect his delicate complexion?

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.

Melanie Watt's profile page

• Winner, Best Books for Kids & Teens, Canadian Children's Book Centre
• Winner, Best Bet for Children and Teens, Ontario Library Association

This is an excellent book to share one-on-one.

School Library Journal

Kids ... will go nuts for Scaredy ... the world's most lovable worry-wart ... readers can't help but laugh out loud...a fun visual treat for kids, adults and forest animals of all kinds.

Breitbart

... Scaredy Squirrel returns in another hilarious tale ... Watt's cartoon-style pictures ... add joke after joke ... they deliver a surprise on every page ...

Booklist

... The signature illustrations ... provide plenty of visual jokes for readers to chuckle over ... Scaredy's anxieties and his ridiculous solutions remain fresh enough to delight with this salty offering.

Kirkus Reviews

Her clever asides --- in print as well as illustration --- make these picture books as appealing to older readers as they are for youngsters ...

The Gazette

Scaredy Squirrel at the Beach