# Scaredy Squirrel

- Link: https://thecuriosi.com/english-language-lab-for-kids/stories-for-kids/bravery-and-big-feelings/scaredy-squirrel/
- Published: 2026-10-30T02:32:32+05:30
- Author: MAHENDRA MANCHIKALAPATI

[English Language Lab](https://thecuriosi.com/english-language-lab-for-kids/)/[Stories for Kids](https://thecuriosi.com/english-language-lab-for-kids/stories-for-kids/)/
[Bravery & Big Feelings](https://thecuriosi.com/english-language-lab-for-kids/stories-for-kids/bravery-and-big-feelings/)/
Scaredy Squirrel

✦Mélanie Watt · Reading companion

# Scaredy Squirrel

Bring your copy and explore predictions, helpful plans, and small steps toward something
new.

📖 Read together🍃 Ages 5–11✨ Comparing expectations with evidence

[Open reading guide ](https://thecuriosi.com/english-language-lab-for-kids/stories-for-kids/bravery-and-big-feelings/scaredy-squirrel/#sf-story-text)
[More bravery & big feelings](https://thecuriosi.com/english-language-lab-for-kids/stories-for-kids/bravery-and-big-feelings/)

![A child and a caring adult draw a three-step picture plan for trying a new tabletop
puzzle beside a closed unmarked book.](https://thecuriosi.com/wp-content/uploads/
2026/10/scaredy-squirrel-small-step-map.png)

**A small step can be a useful start**Read together · Retell · Imagine

Bring your book and read together

A book to read together

## Scaredy Squirrel

Original prompts to use with your copy.

Scaredy Squirrel is written and illustrated by Mélanie Watt. Read a family or library
copy, then use these original Curiosi prompts to explore expectations, plans, and
new experiences. Children can talk about the character or invent an example; they
do not need to share a personal worry.

Step one

### Separate a guess from a fact

Before reading, look at the cover and invite a prediction about the character. Ask
which visible detail inspired the guess. Explain that a prediction is an idea to
check, while an observation describes something you can see. Keep both on a simple
two-part drawing as you begin your copy.

Step two

### Explore how the page is organised

Pause at a page where the layout catches the child’s attention. Ask how the arrangement
helps explain the character’s thinking. Notice a label, picture, list, or other 
feature in your edition. Which detail tells us something directly, and which leaves
us to infer? Let the child choose what to discuss.

Step three

### Compare an expectation with an outcome

After reading, revisit one prediction. What matched, and what changed? Ask what 
the character learned from an experience, using a detail from your copy. Discuss
how a useful plan can include questions, help, and a chance to pause. Trying something
new need not mean ignoring real limits or making the biggest possible leap.

Step four

### Draw a small-step plan

Invent a new tabletop task, such as trying an unfamiliar puzzle. Draw three stepping
stones on paper: something to ask, a small first try, and a way to review it. Add
a person who could help. Act out the plan without keeping score. Revise a stone 
if you discover a more comfortable or useful approach.

Your turn to read

### Reading path

[01Separate a guess from a fact](https://thecuriosi.com/english-language-lab-for-kids/stories-for-kids/bravery-and-big-feelings/scaredy-squirrel/#sf-chapter-1)
[02Explore how the page is organised](https://thecuriosi.com/english-language-lab-for-kids/stories-for-kids/bravery-and-big-feelings/scaredy-squirrel/#sf-chapter-2)
[03Compare an expectation with an outcome](https://thecuriosi.com/english-language-lab-for-kids/stories-for-kids/bravery-and-big-feelings/scaredy-squirrel/#sf-chapter-3)
[04Draw a small-step plan](https://thecuriosi.com/english-language-lab-for-kids/stories-for-kids/bravery-and-big-feelings/scaredy-squirrel/#sf-chapter-4)

### Word basket

**prediction**an idea about what may happen

**observe**to notice something carefully

**infer**to work out an idea from clues

**revise**to change a plan after thinking again

**About this reading companion**

An independent Curiosi reading companion for Scaredy Squirrel. The prompts, vocabulary
explanations, and activities are original and designed for use alongside a family
or library copy. The new illustration shows the companion activity. The official
link provides book information and creator credits.

Official book details: [Kids Can Press: Scaredy Squirrel — Mélanie Watt](https://kidscanpress.com/product/scaredy-squirrel/)

## Keep the conversation going

There is no single right answer. Invite young readers to notice, wonder and imagine.

Remember

Which observation supported your first prediction?

Think

How did the page layout explain an idea?

Imagine

What could make a first step manageable?

**Make something:** Make two picture boxes for an imaginary challenge: what I expect
and what I notice. Add a question you could ask before choosing the next step.

[← Back to categoryBravery & Big Feelings](https://thecuriosi.com/english-language-lab-for-kids/stories-for-kids/bravery-and-big-feelings/)
[Browse all stories ↗](https://thecuriosi.com/english-language-lab-for-kids/stories-for-kids/)
[Explore category →Bravery & Big Feelings](https://thecuriosi.com/english-language-lab-for-kids/stories-for-kids/bravery-and-big-feelings/)

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