Book Review: Scaredy Squirrel by Mélanie Watt, in Scaredy Squirrel Series Title 1

Scaredy's name perfectly describes a squirrel who dislikes venturing from the nest-hole of his acorn-rich oak tree (Quercus spp). He thereby expects to avoid life's terrors: 

• germs; 
• green Martians; 
• killer bees;
• poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans);
• sharks (Selachimorpha superorder); and
• tarantulas (Theraphosidae family). 

He finds his stay-at-home life cycles and natural histories advantageous and disadvantageous because of the boringly comfortable predictability of daily schedules, 6:45 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., devoted to eating the same abundant nuts and enjoying the same great view from the same safe shelter. He nevertheless gives allowance for serendipity through:

• an emergency kit;
• an escape plan of panicking before donning the emergency kit;
• an exit plan of four routes; and
• fail-safe measures playing dead. 

But the unexpected sight of a killer bee so horrifies Scaredy at 9:30 a.m. one Thursday that the emergency kit -- packed with antibacterial soap, band-aid, bug spray, calamine lotion, hard hat, mask, net, parachute, rubber gloves, sardines-filled tin -- falls into poison ivy. Scaredy is headed after it before he can stop himself. He judges it nothing short of miraculous to realize that falls may not be fatal or injurious for flying squirrels! He knows glorious glides before landing in a bush and playing dead for two hours. The self-knowledge leads Scaredy to memorialize the adventure with revised routines accommodating glides at 9:37 a.m. and playing dead from 9:45 to 11:45 a.m. at the landing site. 

Two flying squirrel species make North America their home: 

• Glaucomys sabrinus of Central and North America (Canada, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, U.S.A.); and
• Glaucomys volans of Canada and the United States of America. 

The first-mentioned northern and second-mentioned southern fliers number among mammals inhabiting mixed forest habitats including Scaredy's favorite oak. Northern fliers nevertheless operate by reclusive, Scaredy-type behaviors. 

Scaredy Squirrel provides -- for pre-kindergarteners to third-graders aged 4 to 8 years -- culturally enriching, educationally entertaining insights into an American flying squirrel's imagined adventures, thanks to: 

• Kids Can Press Ltd. of Toronto, Canada, and Tonawanda, New York; 
• Karen Powers, designer;
• Tara Walker, editor; and 
• Mélanie Watt, author/illustrator of the Potato Cut-set text's acrylic and charcoal pencil artwork. 

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Scaredy Squirrel, identified as number 6, amidst other storybook toys, such as Stillwater the Panda (#4) from Zen Shorts
Mr. Schu's "Toys": Schu (MrSchuReads), CC BY-SA 2.0, via Flickr @ https://www.flickr.com/photos/litandmore/6952183915/

Scaredy Squirrel's encounter with a killer bee segues into learning how to avoid poison ivy.
adult killer bee (Apis mellifera scutellata) in Florida: Jeffrey W. Lotz, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Bugwood.org, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Apis_mellifera_scutellata.jpg

Scaredy Squirrel discovers innate gliding abilities to escape poison ivy.
Oregon Flying Squirrel (Pteromys oregonensis); illustration by John James Audubon (April 26, 1785 – January 27, 1851)
J.J. Audubon, The Quadrupeds of North America, Vol. I (1851), Plate XV, opp. p. 132: Biodiversity Heritage Library (BioDivLib), Public Domain, via Flickr @ https://www.flickr.com/photos/61021753@N02/6260419863/

Southern Flying Squirrel (Glaucomys volans): one of only two New World species of flying squirrels
Southern Flying Squirrel (Glaucomys volans) snacks on sunflower seeds at birdfeeder.: Joshua Mayer, CC BY SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Glaucomys_volans_Birdfeeder.jpg

Northern Flying Squirrel (Glaucomys sabrinus)
Blue Ridge Parkway mammals; photo by Bob Cherry/National Park Service: Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Glaucomys_sabrinus_2.jpeg

Audubon, John James. 1851. The Quadrupeds of North America. Vol. I. New York: V.G. Audubon.

• Available via Biodiversity Heritage Library at: http://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/34896043

Watt, Mélanie. 2006. Scaredy Squirrel. Scaredy Squirrel Series Title #1. Toronto, Ontario, Canada; and Tonawanda, NY, USA: Kids Can Press.