Scaredy Squirrel is a flying squirrel after my own heart. In the book Scaredy Squirrel, by Melanie Watts, Scaredy doesn’t like to leave the safety of his tree, because he is afraid of Martians, killer bees, tarantulas, poison ivy, germs, and sharks. That pretty much sums it up for me too. Scaredy Squirrel decides to pack an emergency kit for venturing into the unknown. In the end Scaredy, embraces the carefree feeling of exploration.


In Scaredy Squirrel at the beach, Scaredy attempts a beach vacation. Scaredy says, “He’d rather vacation at home alone where it’s safe than risk being surrounded by the wrong crowd.” Ha, Ha. Scaredy gets dressed in his protective beach gear and ships himself to the beach in a cargo container. As he braves the many dangers of the beach-people, jellyfish, coconuts, he collects items to make a replica beach at his tree.

These books are sweet and funny-excellent for a quick bedtime read.

For more Scaredy adventures also check out, Scaredy Squirrel makes a friend.

Happy 4th of July!
The kids are always happy when papalibrarian is home for an extra day. We are having what the kids call a “stay home day” or a “night-night day”, where we basically hang out in our pjs and do whatever we want. What I want to do is blog, and drink coffee. (favorite Seattle coffee)

I am always in search of children’s books that are slightly offbeat and unique. It keeps things interesting for the grownups and the kids. Octonauts and the Sea of Shade, by Meomi is the second adventure book for the crew of Octonauts. The Octonauts include characters such as Professor Inkling, the octopus oceanographer, Sauci Dog, the sausage dog that manages the controls of the Octopod, and Tweak Bunny, the mechanical engineer. The Octonauts live in an Octopod, a flip-top, octopus shaped, pod house. In this book, they go on a quest to find the missing shadows, which have been recalled by the King of Shade. The illustrations in Octonauts are vibrant and detailed. They are the kind of illustrations that the kids stare at for a while, so they can find all the intricate story and character details that are not explained in the text. Check out the Octonauts story, and print out some coloring pages too.

My four-year old and I compiled this list of books that make her laugh. These are the books she wants to read over and over, and often “reads” to herself.

What! Cried Granny, by Kate Lum
An exasperated grandmother tries to put her grandson to bed.

Dumb Bunnies, by Dav Pilkey
What more can you say? A family of silly bunnies goes on nonsensical adventures.

Parts, by Tedd Arnold
A boy thinks he is literally falling apart. Silly body humor for the 4-8 year old crowd.

Pirates Don’t Change Diapers, by Melinda Long
Aargh! Pirate help with a baby sister.

The Incredible Book Eating Boy, by Oliver Jeffers
A boy devours books and gets smarter.

Blue Hat, Green Hat, by Sandra Boynton
A board book with funny pictures of a turkey that just can’t get it right.

Max, the Stubborn Little Wolf, by Marie-odile Judes
Papa Wolf tries to deter his stubborn son from becoming a florist.