2007-06-02 A cute, colorful, and fun children's book with a really great message

I love Scaredy Squirrel. I was updating some computers the other day, and - to help pass the time - I happened to pick up a copy of Scaredy Squirrel Makes a Friend. This little guy is so cute and funny, and I can identify with him because I've always been a bit of a scaredy squirrel myself. Scaredy doesn't really have any friends because he's afraid to leave his tree. It's a dangerous world out there, and a squirrel never knows when he might be set upon by a deadly rabbit, piranha, walrus, or even Godzilla. Then one day, Scaredy spots someone who passes his Perfect Friend test with flying colors - a squeaky clean, quiet, 100% safe goldfish. It's time to put Operation First Impression into effect. It's a pretty elaborate plan he's drawn up which involves a number of objects, including - of course - his "Hello, My name is Scaredy" nametag, mittens to avoid the effects of sweaty paws, the creation of a careful distraction, and more. Ever wary of danger, he also has a backup plan to avoid contact with any potentially harmful creature.

As luck would have it, he's barely out of his tree before his handy little mirror reveals a wet, dirty, toothy dog coming up behind him. The chase is on, wearing Scaredy down to the point that he eventually falls back on his plan of last resort - playing dead. Then a funny thing happens. The dog doesn't go anywhere. Eventually, Scaredy realizes that the dog is just looking for a friend, just like he is.

This is a great book for young children, especially those who tend to be on the shy side. The artwork is colorful, engaging, and fun, and the very entertaining story does a great job of teaching youngsters that you can't judge an animal (or person) by appearance alone - and that you won't make any good friends if you're too timid to get to know those around you. The best friend you'll ever have may be the last person you would ever expect him/her to be.