Scaredy Squirrel Makes a Friend
Scaredy Squirrel Makes a Friend by Melanie Watts (2007)
So, I’ve got my hands washed with anti-bacterial soap and my teeth brushed with germ-fighting toothpaste (Scaredy Squirrel insisted); I’m now ready to begin my review, in a nutshell. Our furry-tailed, panophobic friend is back in this fearful, or full of fear rather, tale of emerging friendship.
Scaredy fears that friends might bite. So, just to be safe, he steers clear of walruses, bunnies, beavers, piranhas, and Godzilla, despite finding this to be a rather friend-free, dull existence. One day he spots a purportedly perfectly safe pal, the goldfish in the fountain (guaranteed 100% safe); he formulates a perfect plan to befriend the goldfish. Only when he puts it into action, the plan goes a bit awry when a dog intervenes and Scaredy Squirrel finds himself to be squirrel numero uno in a squirrel chase.
After running for hours, Scaredy can run no more, and he simply plays dead. As Scaredy readies himself to be bitten, he feels a lick instead. It is at this point when Scaredy Squirrel, afraid of fear itself, realizes that instead of encountering a ferocious, squirrel biting dog, he has just made his first friend (a friend that is 83% safe and 100% more fun than a goldfish…these being percentages making the friendship worth the risk).
Our fearful, friendless Scaredy Squirrel is now, while not quite qualifying as intrepid, at least less one fear and plus one friend. He’s even figured out how to solve his new friend’s doggy odor. Scaredy Squirrel Makes a Friend is every bit as delightful as Scaredy Squirrel itself. I recommend this title for shy children, children entering school for the first time, anyone who needs a refresher course on friendship, and pretty much everyone that likes to laugh.
Thus, all is well that ends well, except for now we need another Scaredy Squirrel book to read. Fortunately for Scaredy fans such as myself, Melanie Watts said in her Cybils interview, “…I am presently working on the third Scaredy Squirrel story and hope to do many more!” I hope so too!
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