Scaredy Squirrel, star of his own wildly popular series of humorous stories about his neurotic life, offers a tongue-in-cheek guide to getting through the holiday season in a safe, sane and germ-free fashion. Previous Scaredy Squirrel stories provided a story in addition to safety tips and charts of potential dangers and caveats. This Christmas-themed collection has a preface and eight short chapters with lists, charts, diagrams, tips and instructions, but there is no story and no way of understanding Scaredy Squirrel and his lovable ways without familiarity with his other books. Of course, a name like Scaredy Squirrel and an introductory warning to "put on mittens before reading this safety guide" do give some clues, but kids who don"t know Scaredy already might need some explanation of his personality in order to get the humor. Chapters include guides to decorations, sweets, gifts, characters, pet peeves, fun and Scaredy"s last resort for dire straits: playing dead. Each item is amusing on its own, but an entire book of ironic humor about the holidays is a bit much and might be better enjoyed in small doses. Spot illustrations of Scaredy with his earnest grin are sprinkled throughout, along with small illustrations for the many charts and lists. Fans of the series might enjoy this; others can keep calm and carry on. (Picture book. 5-8)