?Halloween is creeping up quickly,? warns everyone's favorite worrywart, ?and it's time to gather the courage to face the ghoulish festivities!? And according to Scaredy Squirrel, the best way to do that is by being prepared. So he's compiled this essential guide full of ideas, strategies and plans to help readers survive Halloween ?all in one piece!? From costume suggestions rated with Scaredy's own specially designed SCARE-O-METER (it helps gauge the fear factor), to instructions for visiting a haunted mansion (tip: don't make eye contact when passing the graveyard), to recommendations for outwitting infamous Halloween monsters (example: challenge Frankenstein to count), his advice covers every Halloween danger imaginable (plus many more you never thought of!). Of course, if all else fails, Scaredy has a surefire backup plan: play dead. Because on this, the scariest day of the year, Scaredy Squirrel's leaving nothing to chance!

This picture book from award-winning author and illustrator Mélanie Watt is one in a series of Safety Guides for Scaredies, starring the hilarious, endearing and hugely popular squirrel with the wide, toothy grin and the one-of-a-kind perspective on being afraid. With so much going on in the appealing, graphic-style illustrations --- including loads of charts, lists and maps as well as labeled objects throughout --- this is a book children will love poring over. This title works perfectly as a springboard for discussions on real safety issues during Halloween, as well as on the subject of being afraid in general and ways to deal with fears.