I agree with Heidi that the message of this is unclear. Is Shelly a late bloomer, or is he just a free spirit? Are his sisters bossy in a bad way, or just overly enthusiastic? I guess it's kind of a good thing that it can be interpreted differently by different readers, as more kids can find their own value in it. I, personally, could not, however, empathize. So to me it was just cute.

If you do have a late bloomer or an overwhelmed younger sibling that might appreciate this book, check it out and tell us whether it was especially appreciated by that child or his parents/ siblings. ( )

The reluctant duck doesn't want to leave his shell, which irritates his sisters. ( )

Shelly is a book about a little chick that has three sisters. His sisters keep nagging him about when will h be ready like them, but Shelly doesn’t give them attention at all. Finally when they leave Shelly has all the fun he wants and does all these different fun activities. When his sisters come back they ask him when he will be ready, and he states Wednesday. They get so excited, but Shelly thinks to himself “he didn’t say which Wednesday. ( )

This story is adorable! Margie Palatini was one of the authors that was recommended for the class for the class to read. This story is talking about a little boy Shelly who has three sisters. They always want Shelly to be like them but he says in his shell because he just isn't ready to come out. The whole time his sisters are asking him who he wants to be like and he never says anyone but at the very end they walk in on him being a boy and he says on Wednesday he will tell him who he wants to be like, but he never says what Wednesday he will pick. This is a cute story because mostly all children can relate too because they have a sibling who is older or younger they look up too.On the website, allbookstores.com has a list of all the books Margie wrote. You could use this website to help find more books or to let you students pick out a book from her they would like to read.

Shelly isn't ready to come out of his shell yet. His three sisters pressure him to come out of his shell and be just like them. Adelaide wants him to skate. Tallulah wants him to dance. Miranda wants Shelly to draw and paint like her. When his sisters are away, Shelly emerges from his shell but his interests are very different than his sisters. This book would be perfect for children in preschool to second grade. It demonstrates individuality and would be a great way to begin a discussion about being yourself. http://www.margiepalatini.com/ is a great resource for fun activites related to Margie Palatini's books.