Sheila Rae is afraid of nothing. Bullies, monsters, stray dogs—none of them hold any terror for her. Yet even this dauntless heroine faces a problem when she tries to go home by a different route and loses her way.
One important aspect of the story is when Sheila Rae is faced with a problem, she is willing to acknowledge it, and to accept help in solving it - help even from a younger sister who usually depends on Sheila Rae for solutions. Little Louise, who usually finds everything scary and threatening, even the cherries in her fruit cocktail, is able to call up her inner resources and lead the way home, confronting every danger on the way. Young readers who have experienced feelings of inadequacy in the light of what appears to be the superior prowess of older siblings or neighbours will relish Louise’s victory. While we cannot, and probably should not, protect our children from the many difficulties which they will face throughout their lives, we can give them the tools they need to overcome them and to grow stronger. Sheila Rae and Louise are children who do just that, and it is fitting to let them serve as models for launching an investigation into problems that children may face today and how they may deal with them.
The School Edition for Sheila Rae, the Brave, has a delightful range of activities spanning the National Curriculum and the Curriculum Guidelines. Here are some examples:
If butterflies could talk
Children explore the Sheila Rae, the Brave CD-ROM, looking for the butterfly on each page. Incorporate your discoveries into creative stories the butterfly might tell.
How are you feeling Sheila Rae?
In this activity, children explore how feelings change, both in Sheila Rae, the Brave and in
their own experiences.
A walk in the woods
Identifying various sorting strategies to divide objects into categories.
