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RUBY AND LONELY

Name: RUBY AND LONELY
Author: Patrice Karst
ISBN: 9781662508042

by Patrice Karst ; illustrated by Kayla Harren ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 12, 2023

A warm, genuine journey that promotes self-reliance.

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A child learns to embrace her inner strength and transform loneliness into something new.

Ruby, a youngster with long red locks and pale skin, feels very much alone—both at school and at home. Everyone around her is so busy; no one really notices Ruby at all. Tan-skinned Mr. Garcia, her teacher, tells Ruby’s diverse class that sometimes it is helpful to give a name to your problems, to help solve them. Ruby decides to name her problem “Lonely.” Lonely first begins as a reflection of Ruby in a storefront window and, later, a mirror, reflecting Ruby’s frown and slumped posture. However, as Ruby shares things that she enjoys with her new friend, Lonely comes to sit beside her, gradually absorbing color and strength. Lonely is Ruby’s own inner self, gaining confidence and joy—which others start to notice. As Ruby makes friends at school, Lonely doesn’t need to be present as much but is always there in the mirror, just in case. Harren’s soft palette adds a nostalgic twinge to this sensitively told narrative, letting Ruby tiptoe through sorrow and then also shine brightly. An author’s note explains that the story was inspired by Karst’s own loneliness as a child; the author also discusses the importance of having an “inner friend” and ends with discussion questions. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A warm, genuine journey that promotes self-reliance. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: Sept. 12, 2023

ISBN: 9781662508042

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Two Lions

Review Posted Online: June 21, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2023

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
THE INVISIBLE STRING BACKPACK
by Patrice Karst ; illustrated by Joanne Lew-Vriethoff

- BOOK REVIEW
THE INVISIBLE WEB
by Patrice Karst ; illustrated by Joanne Lew-Vriethoff

- BOOK REVIEW
THE INVISIBLE LEASH
by Patrice Karst ; illustrated by Joanne Lew-Vriethoff

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

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Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.

The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: June 21, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
ON THE FIRST DAY OF FIRST GRADE
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Sarah Jennings

- BOOK REVIEW
FIVE LITTLE BUNNIES
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Dan Yaccarino

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BUDDY'S NEW BUDDY

From the Growing With Buddy series , Vol. 3

by Christina Geist ; illustrated by Tim Bowers ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 12, 2022

Making friends isn’t always this easy and convenient.

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How do you make a new friend when an old one moves away?

Buddy (from Sorry, Grown-Ups, You Can’t Go to School, 2019, etc.) is feeling lonely. His best friend just moved across town. To make matters worse, there is a field trip coming up, and Buddy needs a bus partner. His sister, Lady, has some helpful advice for making a new pal: “You just need to find something you have in common.” Buddy loves the game Robo Chargers and karate. Surely there is someone else who does, too! Unfortunately, there isn’t. However, when a new student arrives (one day later) and asks everyone to call her Sunny instead of Alison, Buddy gets excited. No one uses his given name, either; they just call him Buddy. He secretly whispers his “real, official name” to Sunny at lunch—an indication that a true friendship is being formed. The rest of the story plods merrily along, all pieces falling exactly into place (she even likes Robo Chargers!), accompanied by Bowers’ digital art, a mix of spot art and full-bleed illustrations. Friendship-building can be an emotionally charged event in a child’s life—young readers will certainly see themselves in Buddy’s plight—but, alas, there is not much storytelling magic to be found. Buddy and his family are White, Sunny and Mr. Teacher are Black, and Buddy’s other classmates are racially diverse. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Making friends isn’t always this easy and convenient. (Picture book. 4-7)