Sea Crow

by Shannon Stewart, Elizabeth Milkau (Illustrator)

Jessicaís little brother Miles is afraid of all kinds of unusual pickles, tennis balls and dragons, to name a few. Jessica is not so willing to name her fears, but going to a new school is hard. Nothing on the nearby beach scares her, though. Beach finds collect in Jessicaís garden until she is ready to create something that will help her to face her fear.

Hardcover

First published April 1, 2004

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Reviews

[Jim Sibigtroth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read this aloud to kindergarten and first grade students but I think it works best with kindergarten because it addresses their concerns about starting class in a new school. The main character is in about 1st or 2nd grade and has just moved to a new house near the beach. She is very nervous about going to her new school but we don't find out why until the end. She has a little pre-school brother who talks about what frightens him (silly things like tennis balls "because the are furry") The kindergarten students think these fears are hilarious. The big sister worries that people won't like her when they find out about something that makes her different. But the other children in this story behave as we would like all children to behave in this situation...they do not make fun of this difference and in fact don't seem to think it has anything to do with what sort of person the girl is.