It concerns a young girl named Sheila Rae, who is fearless and a bit of a show-off, doing things like riding her bike no-handed with her eyes shut and pretending cherries are bear eyes.
However, when she gets lost on the way home from school, she bites off more than she can chew and must be helped by her younger sister Louise.
This book provides examples of
- Barefoot Cartoon Animal: All of the characters are mice or rats, and none of them wear shoes despite being otherwise fully-dressed.
- Bravado Song: Downplayed as it's not a musical number, but it's mentioned that Sheila Rae briefly sings, "I am brave, I am fearless" when she's about to find a new route home from school.
- Consistent Clothing Style: Louise always wears a hair bow, and (with the exception of one page) she always wears long-sleeved dresses.
- Establishing Character Moment: Sheila Rae's bravado is first established on her first page, when she kisses a spider.
- Fear of Thunder: Implied for Louise, who cringes and covers her ears while lightning strikes.
- Friend to Bugs: Sheila Rae kisses a spider.
- Funny Animal: The main cast are all anthropomorphic animals, though it's unclear if they're mice or rats.
- "I Can't Look!" Gesture: Louise covers her eyes when Sheila Rae rides her bicycle with her eyes shut and no-handed.
- I Want My Mommy!: Sheila Rae calls out for her mother when she's lost in the woods. She follows it up by calling for her father, then Louise, the latter of whom arrives.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Sheila Rae may be a show-off, and she does tie Wendell up and growl at animals, but she also cares greatly about Louise, getting her teddy back from Capone the dog and attacking the monster that was apparently in her closet.
- Lost Aesop: There isn't consensus as to what the moral is. Some people interpret it as "Don't be cocky", while others interpret it as "Even the bravest of people get scared sometimes".
- Nightmare Fetishist: Sheila Rae pretends her cherries are bears' eyes, and eats five. Also, she and Louise both have fun attacking the trees, pretending they're evil creatures.
- Oh, Crap!: Sheila Rae's bravery immediately disappears when she realises she's lost.
- Sweetie Graffiti: One piece of graffiti on the fence reads, "Wendell + Sophie" in a heart.
- Take Our Word for It: We're told the things Sheila Rae imagines while lost in the woods are horrible, but they're never explained in detail.
- Tears of Fear: Sheila Rae cries when she's afraid due to being lost in the woods.
- Things That Go "Bump" in the Night: Louise, who seems about six, claims there is a monster in her closet at one point. Her older sister Sheila Rae attacks it.
- Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: In addition to thunder, Louise seems to be afraid of the dark, since she approaches Sheila Rae at night with a flashlight.
