Review by Booklist Review
Fretful, neurotic Scaredy, star of Scaredy Squirrel (2006) and Scaredy Squirrel at the Beach (2008), once again confronts his fears. This time, Scaredy is too terrified to sleep, and on lively pages formatted as charts and diagrams, he presents potential night visitors (unicorns, polka-dotted monsters) and how he will guard against them (molasses, banana peels). Some vocabulary words will be a stretch for a young audience (hallucinations, drowsiness), but kids will be amused by the lively, busy compositions packed with silly details, and those who share Scaredy's insomniac tendencies will enjoy the reassuring outcome.--Engberg, Gillian Copyright 2009 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Confronting his phobias one step at a time, Scaredy Squirrel, in his fourth adventure, "never sleeps" because he is so worried that he might have bad dreams about any number of creatures, which include dragons, fairies, ghosts, unicorns, vampire bats and "polka-dot monsters." Suffering from sleep deprivation, Scaredy decides it's time to confront his fears. Though armed with an arsenal of supplies, among them "cupcakes" and "safety cones," his "Bad Dream Action Plan" has unexpected results. Scaredy, with his oversized head and wide set of pearly whites, continues to radiate personality. Ages 4-8. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2-Children will be delighted as Scaredy Squirrel attempts to face his fear of falling asleep because of bad dreams, and they'll laugh at his absurd lists and action plans. Although the ending is predictable, youngsters will sigh with relief as he finally nods off. The layout includes multiple images as he makes lists and carries out his plans to stay awake all night. The cartoon illustrations, rendered digitally in Photoshop, capture the action and are filled with humorous details. This could be a useful title for guiding children in developing lists and action plans. It would be interesting to see how they would ward off bad dreams.-Margaret R. Tassia, Millersville University, PA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
In his fourth spirited adventure, Scaredy Squirrel is determined to avoid bad dreams by staving off sleep. However, nothing incites imagination quite like exhaustion. In order to keep away nightmarish fairies, dragons, and "polka-dot monsters," Scaredy comes up with a plan, and chaos ensues. Great pacing and comic timing in addition to well-designed, detailed, kid-friendly illustrations make this a winner. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A great, big glow-in-the-dark grin greets readers on the cover of this latest visit with North America's favorite shrinking violet. "Scaredy Squirrel never sleeps. He'd rather stay awake than risk having a bad dream in the middle of the night." All sorts of ghastly intruders could visit: ghosts, fairies (menacingly buck-toothed), polka-dot monsters (a great V of a frown poised over its one eye)you name it. In accordance with the now-familiar formula, Scaredy develops a series of bizarre strategies to fend off sleep (scrapbooking "keeps you well-organized and productive"), assembles an emergency kit and devises a "Bad Dream Action Plan" that includes using molasses to slow down vicious unicorns. The panels and diagrams will be familiar to any of Scaredy's fans (Scaredy Squirrel at the Beach, 2008, etc.), as will the timorous squirrel's eventual "solution." Familiarity doesn't breed contempt, though, as Watt has honed in on a nearly universal childhood fear; kids afraid of the nighttime will recognize themselves, and the sweet silliness with which Scaredy approaches his fear will make them laugh even as it eases them to nightmare-free slumber. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
