Shane and Shelia shoe are a pair. They were made for each other. They never expected to be separated. After all, what use is a shoe without its partner?
When Shane and Sheila find themselves all alone in the world, they think they have no purpose or value without each other.
Two shoes desperate for hope.
For their lives to change, they'll need a helping hand.
Helen lives in West Cumbria on the edge of the Lake District National Park where sheworks an an English teacher and school librarian, as well as writing books for children. She's always either reading or writing!
Helen is the author of the 'Amber's Pony Tales' books for middle grade readers and 'A Tale of Two Shoes' for younger readers.
5☆ A Heartwarming, Entertaining, Educational and Fun Children's Book.
A Tale of Two Shoes is a beautifully illustrated children's book all about two shoes who end up separated and alone. This story tells their journey and how they found happiness again and their purpose.
Shane and Sheila were a pair of glossy red buckled shoes, that belonged to three year old Poppy. After having a tantrum and throwing Sheila out a car window. There was no further use for Shane so her Mum threw Shane in the bin. Shane and Sheila never see each other again.
This story focuses on a number of important topics * Raising Awareness of Pollution and Rubbish that is Endangering Sea Turtles (Shane was found on a beach, rescued, and then featured in a recycled sea Turtle statue to raise awareness.) * Friendships * Being Kind to each other * Making Friends * Loss/Grief ( when Sheila and Shane part, they both feel a sense of loneliness and loss) * Recycling * Nature * Cycle of Life... the Little birds nested in Sheila as Brenda her owner attached her to a tree with other lost shoes to encourage birds to nest in them.
So as you can see this book is pretty special and has so many important features. The illustrations are simply superb! Oh and I have to mention just how much I adore the book cover it represents this beautiful book perfectly! The chapters are short and engaging making this the perfect read to capture children's attention. I would recommend that this book is suitable for ages 4-8years and would be perfect for a bedtime story. I also think A Tale of Two Shoes would be great in schools as children can relate to the fun and quirky characters, which will help children to understand the importance of the book.
Thank you to Love Books Tours for this copy which I reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
You can Find this Review and all my Other Reviews on My Blog :-
A book about friendship, loneliness and loyalty, this story is a treasure for the emotional wellness of a young reader.
The story is an emotional journey, exploring the sweet and the lonely side of friendship. The book gives a young reader an insight into confidence, love and the need for companionship. The illustrations are an added touch to grab your little one's attention.
Overall this a story to introduce and make a younger reader ponder over feelings and help them achieve emotional wellness.
This book was entered in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards. This is what our readers thought: Title: A Tale of Two Shoes Author: Helen Haraldsen, ill. by Steve Hutton
Star Rating: 4 Stars Number of Readers: 15 Stats Editing: 8/10 Writing Style: 7/10 Content: 8/10 Cover: 7/10 Of the 15 readers: 11 would read another book by this author. 10 thought the cover was good or excellent. 15 felt it was easy to follow. 11 would recommend this story to another reader to try. Of all the readers, 7 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘plotting a story’. Of all the readers, 6 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘developing the characters’. Of all the readers, 2 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘writing style’. 12 felt the pacing was good or excellent. 11 thought the author understood the readership and what they wanted.
Readers’ Comments ‘Such a clever premise; a shoe getting lost and feeling alone without the other shoe. We had lots of fun in our classroom with this book. We all liked the artwork and the moral of this story. Although a few of the boys were not as into it – shoes not being a big ‘boy thing’ – as the girls, we all thought it was an interesting story and good for 6 – 7 year olds.’ Primary School Teacher, aged 54 ‘It started off sort of sad but the adventure was exciting and I liked the ending. I think this writer is a good writer and knows what young children enjoy.’ Boy, aged 7 – with a little help from his teacher ‘I think it’s a bit odd to have shoe characters. But it’s different so that’s good. After we read this book, we all had to write a story with odd characters. I did umbrellas. That was a lot of fun.’ Boy, aged 7 – with a little help from mum ‘This story brings personification to a whole new level! A lot of fun. The kids liked it.’ Primary School teacher, aged 29 ‘I think I am going to name my boots George and Jemima. This is a cool book. I loved the pics very much.’ Girl, aged 6 – with a little help from her teacher
To Sum It Up: ‘A charming story, charmingly illustrated. Perfect for 6 – 8 year olds..’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
Thank you to @lovebookstours for a gifted digital copy in exchange for an honest review.
Blurb They thought they'd be together forever. They were wrong. Shane and Shelia shoe are a pair. They were made for each other. They never expected to be separated. After all, what use is a shoe without its partner? When Shane and Sheila find themselves all alone in the world, they think they have no purpose or value without each other. Two shoes desperate for hope. For their lives to change, they'll need a helping hand. A story that shows how new friendships help us to grow and broaden our horizons. Readers agree that this story is a conversation starter for a range of real-life issues.
My review This was such a beautifully written and illustrated little book, with such a heartwarming story. It took me straight back to my childhood - I have always loved personification and when I was young, everything had names and was “real” in my eyes. I now look at my daughter’s shoes that she’s outgrown, which I’ve placed aside for donation, and they aren’t just frog wellies anymore! As with all wonderful children’s stories, it had a strong moral. My daughter is only two, so is a little young but I will absolutely be reading this to her in the future - I only wish it had been available when I was little! Gorgeous book, thoroughly recommend.
A pretty good children’s story. I like the characters, especially Bruno, the cat and the shoes in the garden. The story itself has some sad streaks, but it’s still a really good story. I now want to go and share this with some of the kids I know
The illustrations are so soft and completely fit with the story that I just had to include them here!
A Tale of Two Shoes highlights many metaphors and feelings surrounding nature, and up-cycling - where if something is broken or lost they can still have a purpose and they can still bring happiness and love. We follow Shaun and Sheila who are two shoes, who lose each other. But they find others who love and appreciate them, but still not forgetting where they came from.
I loved the personification of the shoes here, and the heartfelt messages that ran through. It was a no brainer rating for me - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ FIVE stars!
As a teacher of 4 and 5 years olds, I thought this book would be perfect to read to them. As it was slightly longer than the usual book we would read, I read it to them in stages over a couple of weeks. What I particularly liked about this book was that it highlighted lots of different issues, such as being lonely, making friends and caring for the environment. This gave the children lots of opportunities to talk about what they knew about these issues, to share their thoughts and ask questions. The topics of feeling lonely, making friends, and missing people was particularly relevant to a reception class, who are still finding their feet in their new environment, making new friends and missing their parents while they are at school. The story and characters were sufficiently engaging, so that each time we returned to the story the children could remember what had happened previously and recap events and how the characters had been feeling. I did feel that some of the language was slightly old for the age group of the children that I read the story to, however, they were at the lower end of the recommended age group. The most important views of course belong to the children themselves, and this is what they had to say about it.
“I really liked the sculpture of the turtle”, “I liked it because it was about making friends”, “I liked that the shoe was a nest which was a home for the birds”, “It made me sad that Shane and Sheila couldn’t find each other” “I thought it was funny when the little girl had a tantrum” “I thought it was exciting”
Overall, I would give this book 5 stars because the children really enjoyed it and it opened up lots of opportunities for thought provoking discussion, turning our story sessions into a number of ‘teachable moments’.
Thank you to Helen and Love Books Tours for my gifted copy.
This is a story of two little red shoes. Their names are Shane and Sheila. They are cute little red shoes and the story starts as they are being made in a Chinese factory.
They make it to a store and are purchased for a little girl named Poppy. She’s a headstrong little tot who loves her shoes and they love her. One day as Poppy’s family is driving down the street, Poppy has a temper tantrum and throws Sheila out the window.
When the family arrived home, Poppy’s mom threw Shane in the trash. He ended in the landfill. The rest of the book describes the various adventures that the shoes are on. They have many sad experiences as they are moved by the weather and various animals.
Although Shane and Sheila never see each other again, they are found by people who use them for good. There is a wonderful lesson in the book about how when things don’t go the way you want, there is still good that can come from it.
This is a well-written and charming story. It offers parents the opportunity to discuss many moral lessons. I recommend it.
Meet Shane and Sheila. A pair of red buckles shoes. This is their story of how they became separated by little Poppy's tantrum.
These red shoes were Poppy's favourite shoes ever. She would have slept in them if she could. I can remember having a favourite pair of sparkly shoes that clip clopped wherever I went so I know how Poppy felt.
On this particular day all Poppy wanted to do was wear her green wellies with her party dress. Sadly the green wellies didnt really fit the party outfit and Poppy changed into her red shoes.
Sheila ended up being thrown out of the car window after throwing a strop and Shane is thrown into the bin. So begins their new journeys into the next chapters of their lives.
This book is beautifully told and the illustrations are just stunning. My son and I read this and we giggled a lot. He loved the concept of his shoes talking and having feelings.
"Happiness can often be found in unexpected places. You just need to be prepared to look for it". ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This beautifully written and illustrated story follows Shelia rightfoot and Shane leftfoot and how a tantrum from young Poppy left them scared and separated.
I absolutely love how a book aimed at ages 5-7 has so much meaning behind it. Also as a parent really appreciated how we were able to read a few chapters a night, a big plus for a children's book being able to pick up and put down at proper stages. The meaning behind the story was inspirational and a big hit with my daughter, it subtlety handles quite distressing topic such as loss, loneliness touching on anxiety and depression, but shows resilience how even if life isn't going your way and maybe takes you on a different path you can always find happiness in unlikely places. Also what an ending to a children's book such an important message.
This was such a sweet wee book that I would have LOVED as a child. For smaller children they see that these shoes are separated but go on to lead very fulfilling lives as something other than footwear. They will absolutely love the idea of their shoes having lives and talking to each other. For adults it's a metaphor that no matter how we grow and change, how others may outgrow us, how we may lose friendships over time, there is always hope. Everything happens for a reason. It may not be the path you intended to walk in life but it can be just as important. I have to say as well that the illustrations in the book are absolutely beautiful
I thought this was a delightful book for children aged 8-11 years.
Sheila and Shane are a beautiful pair of red shoes who get separated from one another. They are lonely and scared.
As we follow the tale of the shoes we hope children will learn that even when we think there is no hope sometimes with a little help and new friendships life can change and work out alright.
The illustrations on the cover and in the book are lovely.
I was kindly gifted a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
A tale of two shoes is a children's book about as pair of shoes Shane and Sheila who think they will be together forever but they are wrong. My children who are 7 and 5 both enjoyed this book, its not really a book i would pick up to read to the children but thanks to lovebookstours for it. There is a lot of emotion within this book, you can feel it throughout the story. this story flowed really well and kept us all captivated from the 1st page. My childI would recomend everyone to buy this book for their children or a child you know.ren really enjoyed the pictures especially the turtle one.
This book is beautifully written and illustrated. The story follows Sheila and Shane and how a tantrum from young Poppy left them separated. I love how this is aimed for ages 5-7 Me and my little sister read it in one night and she really enjoyed it now we read it every night, everything about this book is beautiful the way it is written the illustrations. Thank you to @lovebooktours and the author for sending me a copy.
I love this book; it is very adorable. I think there is a good lesson for kids and adults to learn. Sometimes we are too dependent on others that it become scary in exploring and trying new things. But, if we give new things a try, keep our mind open and take a risk. We get to see what else we can do. Recommend it to anyone. A bonus is the illustrations are adorable and amazing.