Ladies and gentlemen, shake your Planter’s peanuts can ’cause Scaredy Squirrel has won the Cybils award for Best Fiction Picture Book!

Yours truly was a judge, or should I say Lucie and Nathan were and I was just their proxy. Since our category was picture books, I really relied on their reactions to the various stories. They must have been good judges, because they agreed with us adults. As Anne, organizer of the Cybils, writes:

Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Watt (Kid’s Can Press) – This eponymous squirrel hits little kids and big alike right where they live: in the numbing comfort of routine and abject fear of The Unknown. This is a tiny book with a big lesson about bravery. Watt makes the most of each page, using repetition and exaggeration to hilariously dissect Scaredy Squirrel’s paranoia, from the minutiae of his daily habits to a tour of his emergency kit. When the unexpected finally occurs, the joke’s on all of us. Field-tested in libraries and living rooms and at bedsides by the judges, Scaredy Squirrel elicited the most giggles per page and requests for re-reads among a variety of age groups, including parents.

To learn more about the book or author Melanie Watt, visit the Scaredy Squirrel website.

So what kind of nut recipe would appeal to Scaredy Squirrel? Maybe a pecan roll. It would be the kind of high energy nut snack that would keep well, thus a good addition to his emergency kit. Personally, I loved these treats as a kid. We’d always get them in the Carolinas on car trips south from New Jersey to the Florida Keys. This recipe comes from HowStuffWorks.com and judging by the photo, it’s the real deal.

Pecan Rolls
by the Editors of Easy Home Cooking Magazine
Pecan Roll Yield: Makes 6 (5-inch) rolls

Ingredients:

1. 1/4 cup corn syrup
2. 1/4 cup water
3. 1-1/4 cups sugar
4. 1 egg white
5. 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
6. 1 teaspoon vanilla
7. 1 package (14 ounces) caramels
8. 3 tablespoons water
9. 2 cups coarsely chopped pecans

Preparation:

1. Line 9X5-inch loaf pan with buttered waxed paper; set aside. Combine corn syrup, water and sugar in heavy, small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until sugar dissolves and mixture comes to a boil. Wash down side of pan frequently with pastry brush dipped in hot water to remove sugar crystals. Carefully clip candy thermometer to side of pan (do not let bulb touch bottom of pan.) Continue to cook until mixture reaches the hard-ball stage (255°F).
2. Meanwhile, beat egg white and cream of tartar with heavy-duty electric mixer until stiff but not dry. Slowly pour hot syrup into egg white mixture, beating constantly. Add vanilla; beat until candy forms soft peaks and starts to lose its gloss. Spoon mixture into prepared pan. Cut into 3 strips lengthwise, then crosswise in center. Freeze until firm.
3. Line baking sheet with waxed paper; set aside. Melt caramels with water in heavy, small saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally. Arrange pecans on waxed paper. Working quickly, drop 1 piece of frozen candy mixture into melted caramels to coat. Roll in pecans to coat completely and shape into log. Place on prepared baking sheet to set. Repeat with remaining candy pieces, reheating caramels if mixture becomes too thick.
4. Cut logs into 1/2-inch slices. Store in refrigerator in airtight container between layers of waxed paper or freeze up to 3 months.

Tip: For perfect slices, freeze finished rolls before cutting.

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