"Sheila Rae wasn't afraid of anything."
Title: Sheila Rae, The Brave
Author: Kevin Henkes
Illustrator: Kevin Henkes
Publisher: Mulberry
Date of Publication: 1987
Genre: Fiction
Readability Lexile: 440L
Summary:
Sheila Rae was very brave. She wasn’t afraid of anything – not of the dark, not monsters in the closet, and not the principal at school. She stepped on every crack and walked backwards with her eyes closed without fear. One day she decides to take a new way home from school. Her little sister, Louise, was too afraid. Sheila Rae thought her little sister was a scaredy cat. On her way home Sheila Rae gets lost and cannot find her way home. For the first time, Sheila Rae is really scared. Little did she know her little sister actually did follow her. When Sheila Rae calls for help, her little sister comes to the rescue. Sheila Rae realizes that bravery comes it many different forms. This book would most be enjoyed by kindergarten through second grade students but I think older students would like it too.
Evaluation:
This story is fun, sweet, and can relate easily to children. Everyone is afraid of something even if we say we are not. Sheila Rae finds out that she is afraid of getting lost. The events in this story are those that any child could experience. The main characters, Sheila Rae and Louise, have strengths and fears just like any child. At the beginning of this story, Sheila Rae says that she is not afraid of anything and thinks that her little sister is silly for being scared. In the end she learns that everyone is afraid of something and that sometimes those who look afraid are really some of the bravest.
The author does a good job of depicting an everyday school, home, and outdoor space that children would typically experience. When Sheila Rae gets lost the author uses the setting to show that she is in an unfamiliar place.
The language in this book is appropriate and authentic to the characters. The children in this story speak as a typical children would. This makes reading this story fun for children because they can really play the part of bold Sheila Rae or shy Louise.
Literary Elements:
1. Theme: Sheila Rae learns that its okay to be afraid and that one does not have to be brave all the time. She also learns that bravery comes in all different forms and that sometimes those who seem like scaredy cats are really the bravest of all. This is important for children to realize because sometimes it is easy to be brave and sometimes it is really hard.
2. Irony: In thins story it is ironic that Sheila Rae gets lost at the end because she was always so sure of herself and was very brave. It is also ironic that shy Louise is the one to save the day and be brave in the end.
3. Compare/Contrast: The author has developed two very different characters in this book that end up not being so different. He juxtaposes Sheila Rae and her little sister Louise to show how the they are different and what things Sheila Rae can do compared with the things Louise is too afraid to do at the beginning.
Illustrations:
The pictures in this book are great! They detail all of the things that Sheila Rae is brave enough to do and do a good job of showing the emotions she is feeling when she is brave and when she is lost and afraid. It is fun for kids to try to find Louise in each of the pictures as she is following her lost sister.
Mini-Lesson Idea:
I would use this book to teach the literary device, juxtaposition. Good authors are able to put two people, themes, or ideas side by side so the reader can see the comparison or contrast between the two. I would have the students create two characters that have either many similarities or many differences. We would write a story where they would have to subtly compare or contrast their characters without simply saying that Character A is this way but Character B is this way.
3. Compare/Contrast: The author has developed two very different characters in this book that end up not being so different. He juxtaposes Sheila Rae and her little sister Louise to show how the they are different and what things Sheila Rae can do compared with the things Louise is too afraid to do at the beginning.
Illustrations:
The pictures in this book are great! They detail all of the things that Sheila Rae is brave enough to do and do a good job of showing the emotions she is feeling when she is brave and when she is lost and afraid. It is fun for kids to try to find Louise in each of the pictures as she is following her lost sister.
Mini-Lesson Idea:
I would use this book to teach the literary device, juxtaposition. Good authors are able to put two people, themes, or ideas side by side so the reader can see the comparison or contrast between the two. I would have the students create two characters that have either many similarities or many differences. We would write a story where they would have to subtly compare or contrast their characters without simply saying that Character A is this way but Character B is this way.
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