Sheila Rae, the Brave ANNOTATION
When brave Sheila Rae, who usually looks out for her sister Louise, becomes lost and scared one day, Louise comes to the rescue.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Sheila Rae is not afraid of anything. She walks backwards with her eyes closed, steps on every crack, growls at stray dogs, and bares her teeth at stray cats. But when Sheila Rae becomes lost on the way home from school, it is her "scaredy cat" sister, Louise, who shows her a thing or two about bravery and sibling love.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
The mouse heroine of Henkes's pitch-perfect comedy doesn't frighten easily-she even growls at stray dogs. But when she gets lost, it's her "scaredy cat" sister who helps her find the way home. Ages 4-up. (Apr.)
School Library Journal
PreS-Gr 2 Fearless mouse Sheila Rae is not afraid of anything, and she flaunts her confidence by confronting real and imagined terrors daily (her imagined ones are particularly creative and funny). Finally Sheila Rae decides on a new challenge: she will go home from school a new way. When she gets hopelessly lost, her courage falters, but scaredy-cat little sister Louise has been surreptitiously following Sheila Rae, and proves her own bravery by leading her sister safely home. Louise mimics her sister's undaunted style all the way home (``She growled at stray dogs, and bared her teeth at stray cats''), thus providing a strong language pattern for new readers. Bouncy watercolors in spring-like colors with some pen-and-ink detailing highlight Sheila Rae's bravado in an engaging and amusing way, and Henkes provides Sheila Rae, Louise, and their school friends with highly expressive faces. Children will respond to both the humor of the story and the illustrations and to the challenge of facing fears head-on. Librarians can share this one with small groups or recommend it for patrons without fear, for children will love it. David Gale, ``School Library Journal''
School Library Journal
PreS-Gr 3-Laura Hamilton does a wonderful job in this reading of Kevin Henkes' popular book (Greenwillow, 1987). Sheila Rae's self-proclaimed bravery is nowhere to be found when she finds herself lost on the way home from school one day. In an act of sibling-love, her little "scaredy-cat" sister helps out and saves the day. Appropriate sound effects are liberally infused in the recording, along with an occasional musical interlude, heightening the feelings of fear, helplessness, and finally triumph that listeners will feel right along with Sheila Rae. Henkes' gift for writing and illustrating is nicely complemented by this recording. Wonderful for read-alongs (especially for little sisters!), this title will be useful for emergent readers as well as general listening.-Kirsten Martindale, Buford Academy, GA Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
AudioFile
Sheila Rae, a confident young mouse, isn't afraid of anything, until she decides to walk home from school a new way and proceeds to get completely lost. Laura Hamilton presents a delightfully cocky Sheila Rae, who quickly changes to a quiet, then scared, then hopeless mouse, as she realizes just how lost and alone she is—until her sister, Louise, pops up. Hamilton's voices are consistent and telling. Louise, who starts out meek, takes on character and strength as the story moves along, while the opposite is true for Sheila Rae. Hamilton's cocky, tentative, and scared voices are just right, and the background noises—thunder and lightening, dogs barking, kissing sounds—all work together to make the story come alive. A great book for families, beginning kindergarteners, and fans of Kevin Henkes. W.L.S. 2003 Audie Award Finalist © AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine
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