Mélanie Watt
Mélanie Watt (born August 20, 1975 in Montreal, Quebec) is a Canadian children's author and illustrator. She is best known for Scaredy Squirrel, which won the Ruth & Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Award and was published in French as Frisson l'écureuil. Melanie Watt's other major picture book series is Chester, which is about a cat named Chester who competes with Watt for the chance to write and illustrate his books.
Mélanie Watt
- Name
- Mélanie Watt
- Born
- 20 August 1975
- Birthplace
- Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Education
- Université du Québec à Montréal
- Occupation
- Children's book author and illustrator
- Nationality
- Canada
- Languages
- English
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Mélanie Watt (born August 20, 1975 in Montreal, Quebec) is a Canadian children's author and illustrator. She is best known for Scaredy Squirrel, which won the Ruth & Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Award and was published in French as Frisson l'écureuil. Melanie Watt's other major picture book series is Chester, which is about a cat named Chester who competes with Watt for the chance to write and illustrate his books.
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In this article
Biography
Biography
Chester (2009), the first book in the series, received a starred review from Publishers Weekly.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Mélanie Watt • Born — 20 August 1975 • Birthplace — Montreal, Quebec, Canada • Education — Université du Québec à Montréal • Occupation — Children's book author and illustrator • Notable Works — Scaredy Squirrel
Biography
Biography
As a child, Mélanie Watt enjoyed drawing the comic strip character Garfield. The Scaredy Squirrel series is influenced by Watt's childhood experiences, including her childhood fear of sharks. She received a BA in graphic design from the Université du Québec à Montréal. In 1999, while enrolled in an illustration class taught by Michele Lemieux, Watt wrote her first story, Leon the Chameleon. One of her inspirations is children's book author Mo Willems. She currently resides near Montreal.
Scaredy Squirrel
Scaredy Squirrel
• Scaredy Squirrel (2006) • Scaredy Squirrel Makes a Friend (2007) • Scaredy Squirrel at the Beach (2008) • Scaredy Squirrel at Night (2009) • Scaredy Squirrel Has a Birthday Party (2011) • Scaredy Squirrel Prepares for Christmas (2012) • Scaredy Squirrel Goes Camping (2013) • Scaredy Squirrel Prepares for Halloween (2013) • Scaredy Squirrel in a Nutshell (2021) • Scaredy Squirrel Gets a Surprise (2022) • Scaredy Squirrel Visits the Doctor (2022) • Scaredy Squirrel Gets Festive (2023)
Chester
Chester
• Chester (2007) • Chester's Back! (2008) • Chester's Masterpiece (2010)
Other works
Other works
• Leon the Chameleon (2001) • Colors (2005) • Augustine (2009) • You're Finally Here! (2011) • Have I Got a Book for You (2013) • Bug in a Vacuum (2015)
Awards and honours
Five of Watt's books are Junior Library Guild selections: Leon the Chameleon (2001), Scaredy Squirrel (2006), Scaredy Squirrel Makes a Friend (2007), Scaredy Squirrel at the Beach (2008), and Scaredy Squirrel at Night (2009). Awards for Watt's books • Year — Title — Award — Result — Ref. • 2006 — Scaredy Squirrel — Cybils Award for Fiction Picture Books — Winner • 2007 — ALSC Notable Children's Books — Selection • Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Award — Winner • 2008 — Chester's Back — Cybils Award for Fiction Picture Books — Finalist • 2011 — Scaredy Squirrel Has a Birthday Party — Goodreads Choice Award for Picture Books — Nominee • 2015 — Bug in a Vacuum — Cybils Award for Fiction Picture Books — Finalist
Citations
References
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.
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