Sheila Rae, The Brave

Sheila Rae, The Brave is written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes.

Picture Book

2nd - 3rd Grade

3 out of 5

Sheila Rae, The Brave is about a little mouse girl, Sheila, who was not scared of anything until she got lost on her walk home from school. Her little sister, Louise, has followed her and is able to show her the way home. Sheila Rae then decides that Louise is also very brave.

This book was a good book. It was not too wordy and long, it was good length with a good amount of words on every page. My favorite part of this book is the illustrations. Kevin Henkes has written several children's books which all have the characters as mice. The pictures bright and fun. This illustrations are black and white ink pens and watercolor. Another aspect I like about the illustrations is that they are detailed and well thought out. For example, when Sheila Rae is lost and her sister is following her, Kevin Henkes has placed her somewhere is every picture. I also like that the pictures are not just sqare shaped, they are faded on the edges. I feel like a lot of people can relate to this book for many reasons because everyone has needed help at one point when they were not able to do everything that they thought they could. One part of the story that I thought could have been left out is when she ties Wendell, a boy classmate, up at recess. I think that this aspect may be a bad example for kids because Sheila Rae never gets in trouble for it or even told that it was wrong to do to someone.


This book is a good book to have in a classroom library because it is good for many reading levels and it is not too hard. The text is spaced in a way that makes it inviting to read to kids. One major idea that you could teach along with this book is bravery and fear and what each feels like or looks like. Another important lesson you could teach along with this book is that teamwork can help to overcome obstacles. I was able to read this book with a 2nd grader and she thought it was really funny, especially the part when Sheila Rae growled at the dogs and cats.