Sheila Rae, the Brave [Hardcover]

Kevin Henkes (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: K and up

"I am very brave," Sheila Rae said, patting herself on the back. She wasn't afraid of anything - not thunder, not lightning, not the big black dog at the end of the block. And when she wanted to walk home a new way and Louise wouldn't, she called her sister a scaredy-cat and set out alone.

But all the bravado in the world failed to help when Sheila Rae found herself lost. Luckily, her sister was not far behind ...

A warm and loving story of sibling sympathy and support.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A mouse both boastful and fearless, Sheila Rae decides to go home from school by taking a new route. She walks backwards with her eyes closed, growls at dogs and cats, climbs trees, turns new corners and crosses different streetsand ends up in the middle of unfamiliar territory. Lost and sad, she thinks of home, her parents and her timid sister Louise. As soon as she cries for help, who should appear but Louise, who swings down from a tree branch and saves Sheila Rae from harm. She had followed her older sister, and she knows the way back. Everything that happens here is completely credible, hence appealing to kids' intuitionsmost get carried away sometimes and learn their limitations the hard way. Henkes's illustrations show rainbow-colored forests, mellow graffiti-scrawled fences and one very confident character, Sheila Rae. But little Louise steals the show. Ages 5-8.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 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''
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Greenwillow Books; 1st edition (August 17, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688071554
• ISBN-13: 978-0688071554
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #895,420 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Kevin Henkes is the creator of many distinguished books for children, including Kitten's First Full Moon (winner of the Caldecott Medal), Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse, and Chrysanthemum. His novels for young people include Olive's Ocean (a Newbery Honor Book) and Bird Lake Moon.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Clever story depicting some of the emotions of childhood, March 5, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Sheila Rae, the Brave (Hardcover)

This is a beautifully crafted story about the emotional ups and downs of life, depicted through the eyes of a gutsy girl and her sweet younger sister. Kevin Henkes expertly builds a strong, supportive relationship between the two sisters. The story is clever, the topics are natural -- not forced, and the illustrations are wonderful. This book is available on Interactive CD ROM, too (published by Broderbund Living Books). The CD version also includes a map/treasure hunt game and a library of delightful songs that help convey the story of "Sheila Rae, The Brave." I highly recommend either version for young readers and preschoolers

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very pretty and very helpful, August 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Sheila Rae, the Brave (Paperback)

My child had been convinced that she was shy. I kept telling her she was brave and then we read about Sheila Rae. Now, whenever she's acting a little nervous, I can sing quietly to her, "I am brave. I am fearless." A nice weapon in the battle against shyness.

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice for Kids, September 30, 2000

By 

"donald_mak" (Hong Kong) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sheila Rae, the Brave (Paperback)

Sheila Rae, the Brave, written by Kevin Henkes, is a nice story for young children. My five-year-old brother enjoys himself very much with its CD-ROM version, including interesting animation, melodious song and a *treasure hunt* game.

The story teaches us what the word *brave* really means. Sheila Rae thought that walking backwards with her eye closed, riding bicycle no-handed with her eyes closed, etc., were *brave*. Actually I prefer the word *foolish* to *brave*, because she might get hurt. On the contrary, Louise, his sister was called a *scaredy-cat*. However she was the one who save Sheila Rae from getting lost. She was the real *fearless* girl in the story.

After all, I think Sheila Rae, the Brave is very fascinating, which is a great book for kids at the ages of 4-8.