Scared Squirrel
Scared Squirrel is the title character of the Scared Squirrel children’s book series. The books often follow the same format: Scared identifies his fears, shows how he avoids them at all costs, and develops contingency plans, which usually involve an emergency kit and playing dead till the threat has passed. Scared is inevitably faced with the fears he tries so hard to avoid, eventually learning that it is not as bad as he initially imagined. However, he only slightly alters his strict daily routines after these experiences.
The Scared Squirrel series and Kids Can Press published the first book in March 2006. The series is using large pictures with simple descriptive text.
A sequel, Scared Squirrel Makes a Friend was In March 2007 by Kids Can Press. In the second book, Scared decides to leave his nut tree and find the perfect friend; he must be germ free, toothless and completely predictable. With meticulous planning and preparation, scared sets off with rubber gloves and air freshener in hand, but the friend he finds is not what he had in mind at all.
A third Scared Squirrel title, Scared Squirrel at the Beach, was published in March 2008.[1] In this book, Scared Squirrel has the perfect plan to have some 100% safe fun in the sun by building a beach getaway under his nut tree, complete with a germ-free inflatable pool and plastic flamingo. Still, a crucial part of the beach is missing – the sound of the ocean – so with his meticulous map and worst-case scenario contingency plan, Scared sets off to bring home the perfect seashell. However, he is keeping an eye out for menacing seagulls, pinching lobsters, scary sharks, falling coconuts and camera-shy sea monsters.
Crocodile Mile
Crocodile Mile is an outdoor water toy for children. It consists of a plastic track, a ramp, a hoop, and a “splash pool.” In order to use the Mile, one runs toward the track, slides along its length, flies off the ramp and through the hoop (and through the curtain covering the hoop, which features an image of a crocodile), and lands in the splash pool. Although comparable to the well known Slip and Slide, the latter does not have a ramp or a pool in which to splash.
During the 1980s, Crocodile Mile was on television. The lyrics to its jingle are as follows: “You run, you slide, and you hit the bump, and take a dive.”
The Crocodile Mile remained popular until about the late 1990s, when the safety hazards associated with other slides, coupled with the availability of “real” water slides and swimming pools hastened its decline. However, in recent years, inflatable slides have become more popular, especially for large groups.