Marie can't seem to keep her voice or body quiet as she twitches and twirls her way through life hearing, "Sh! Sh! Sh!" at every twist and turn. Her irrepressible spirit has her leap through the living room practicing ballet; pound with exuberance on a toy drum (near the neighbor's window); and imitate a baby baboon during story-time at the library. Children will laugh with delight at her antics and relate to the common refrain, "Sh! Sh! Sh!" Their delight will increase at the end of the story when Marie gets to say the final "Sh!"
Speech, language and reading skills are interdependent and children make leaps toward literacy when those skills are taught together. This story, besides providing entertainment, will help children learn the letter combination "sh" and give them practice pronouncing it as they join in the repeated refrain Sh! Sh! Sh!
