Scaredy Squirrel at Night



Last updated Tuesday, January 12, 2021

Author: Melanie Watt
Date of Publication: 2009
ISBN: 1554532884
Grade Level: 2nd    (GLCs: Click here for grade level guidelines.)
Date(s) Used: Oct. 2020

Synopsis: Scaredy never sleeps - sleep might mean bad dreams about dragons, ghosts, vampire bats and polka-dot monsters. Our wide-eyed hero has a plan: stay awake all night, every night. Between counting stars, playing cymbals and making scrapbooks, he does a good job of avoiding dreamland. With exhaustion taking its toll, Scaredy comes face-to-face with an alarming horoscope prediction: All his dreams are about to come true! He must prepare for the worst and his Bad Dream Action Plan includes a fire extinguisher to snuff out dragons and a fan to blast away ghosts. But when disaster strikes, will Scaredy survive this ordeal? Will he thank his lucky stars? Will he find sweet dreams?

Discussion topics for before reading:
•  What does "scaredy" mean?
•  Do you sometimes stay up late at night?

Vocabulary

•  scaredy - someone who is scared easily
•  reflexes - being able to physically react quickly without thinking about it first
•  hallucinations - things that look or sound real to one person, but don't really exist
•  exhaustion - feeling really tired
•  horoscope - advice and future-telling based on where the planets were positioned when a person was born.
•  intruders - those who enter a place without permission

Discussion topics for during/after reading:
•  How do you feel when you don't sleep well at night?
•  What dod you think of Scaredy's bad dream action plan?
•  Have you ever made a plan that turned out differently than you wanted it to?
•  Has anyone ever been nice to you when you were not expecting it?
•  How do you feel after a good nights's sleep?

Craft ideas:
•  Make a squirrel puppet with a paper bag or a cut out for a page in a scrapbook.
•  Draw some scary creatures, your own actions plan for how to handle them, or what you would look like if you stayed up all night vs when you get a good night's sleep.
•  Check our craft ideas on Pinterest!
https://www.pinterest.com/readingtokids/october-2020-halloween-magic-and-monsters/

Special activities:
•  Show us your scary creature impression so we can guess what it is.
•  Show us what you look like when you stay up too late and when you get a good night's sleep.
•  Do a scavenger hunt for scary creatures or Halloween decorations in your home.

*Note: These craft ideas are just suggestions. You can use them, but you don't have to use them. You can expand upon them, or add your own twist. Remember, though, that the focus of your time should not be on the development and execution of a craft; the focus should be on the read-aloud and the enjoyment of the book!