Ruby the raccoon returns for a second appearance in this engaging series for readers who are just beginning to read real stories on their own. In this volume, Ruby enthusiastically takes up painting and, one by one, her animal friends appear and ask to be included in her first picture. In cumulative fashion, Ruby paints each one of her four friends in turn—all on the same piece of paper. The animals all demand that Ruby include their best features, such as the fox’s red tail and the bunny’s long ears, and she solves this artistic dilemma by including the best part of each friend: their faces. The story’s gentle tone is well-matched by Moore’s watercolor-and-ink illustrations of the appealing animal characters. Sharp-eyed young readers might notice little Ruby is left-handed, a subtle touch that adds another facet to Ruby’s emerging personality as a spunky little raccoon who likes to try new things. (Easy reader. 5-8)
