Indigo’s Love of Reading Foundation is getting a boost from the adorable yet skittish Scaredy Squirrel, the star of the internationally renowned book series by Mélanie Watt published by Corus Entertainment’s Kids Can Press.

Starting this month, a Scaredy box set will be sold in Indigo, Chapters and Coles stores, with proceeds benefiting the organization. The set includes a book and plush puppet, and its box doubles as a puppet theatre.

The partnership is a first for Love of Reading, according to director Jennifer Gay. ‘We’ve always had some select fundraising items [but] this will be the first time it’s branded with a character,’ she says, noting that Scaredy’s tendency to overcome obstacles makes him the perfect literacy ambassador.

A 60-second Love of Reading PSA is running on Corus station YTV, and will be modified to a 30-second holiday-timed push for the Scaredy box set in December. Banner ads on Treehousetv.com, in-store signage and Indigo’s Holiday Gift Guides will support the effort. Creative was a collaboration between the in-house teams at Indigo, Kids Can and Corus.

Lisa Lyons, president of Kids Can Press, says the partnership makes sense for the expanding Scaredy brand, which has a merchandise line and a television show currently in the works. ‘We hope we can have a considerable impact with respect to the cause,’ she says.

The Love of Reading Foundation commits $1.5 million annually to high-needs elementary schools to rebuild libraries and buy books and resources. So far, $7.5 million has been given to 70 schools across the country.