RUBY ROSE, BIG BRAVOS

A little balletomane performs a duet with her bear.

The ballet-loving little girl who danced her way through the school day in her debut, Ruby Rose: Off to School She Goes (2016), returns for more of the same. Sitting at the breakfast table with her cooking dad, baby brother, dog, and beloved bear, she announces that there will be a dance recital. Donning her pink butterfly costume, Ruby Rose begins her preparations. A rainstorm is barely a deterrent to her poster-making, ticket distribution, costume and stage design, and warm-ups. (Ruby’s first ticket-delivery system is floating helium balloons; when they pop in the tree outside her bedroom, she diligently cleans up the remains.) Unfortunately, the storm threatens to keep the audience from attending, but soon the seats in the living room are filled, and Ruby and the bear, named Bearishnikov, dance a duet to loud cheers. Ruby and her family are white, and the small audience has a few persons of color. The digital illustrations range from full-page to spot art, with features depicted through dots for eyes and simple lines for mouths and noses. Grandparents sharing this title will know for whom the bear is named—Mikhail Baryshnikov—but this detail will likely soar over the target audience’s heads.

Small children who love to wear pink and plié around the house will find this an agreeable read.