SHELBY F. SQUIRREL is very upset to be told that the F. initial in his name stands for FLYING!! He is positive he'll never be able to do that!
Off we tear into his first adventure, which ends with a dramatic leap off an upper floor balcony in a high-rise, and the miracle that he CAN FLY!
After that there is no stopping SHELBY, the lovable, naughty, ever-curious flying squirrel child. Children and even adults will discover facts about Flying Squirrels while enjoying these rollicking tales, which have been described as 'having a certain timeless quality' about them.
This is NOT a picture book, but children as young as 3 and 4 love to listen. The writing is NOT childish but is entirely readable by children from age 7 to 11, depending on individual levels.
There ARE, however, excellent captioned photographs throughout, depicting a character or subject from the stories they preface.
The many subjects of childhood growing pains ARE NOT CENTRAL to these stories, but appear subtly because of situations with which SHELBY is confronted, and subsequently manages to survive. Both his own ingenuity and the help of friends serve to bring about happy endings.
Each story is approximately 1000 words, complete on its own with total closure and reader satisfaction. At the same time, we do follow SHELBY'S progress through 2 years, while he has every imaginable kind of adventure and learns gradually that he is actually growing up.
These stories are classic examples of excellent additions to school classrooms and libraries, and delightful repeated reading in any home where there is a child.