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RUBY RENÉ HAD SO MUCH TO SAY

Name: RUBY RENÉ HAD SO MUCH TO SAY
Author: Ashley Iman
ISBN: 9780593618899

by Ashley Iman ; illustrated by Gladys Jose ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 14, 2024

A wonderful tale certain to inspire youngsters to find creative outlets for their curiosity.

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A story of hope for incessant talkers.

Ruby René, a dark-skinned Black girl with big curly hair, loves to talk. She listens to informative podcasts, adores science, and collects interesting facts that she’s eager to share—often. In class, Mrs. Hansen gets exasperated with Ruby’s talking and calls her parents. Knowing she’s in trouble, Ruby frets and decides to learn Morse code to communicate. Ruby’s concerned and empathetic dad gives her a purple journal so she can write her thoughts down in class instead of speaking them aloud. This quiets Ruby, but she gets so wrapped up with writing in the book that she hears little of Mrs. Hansen’s lessons. In gym class, Ruby can’t contain herself and shares a dodgeball fact with a classmate, and a ball clocks her on the head. While in the office nursing her noggin, Ruby encounters Principal Gale, who suggests something that changes everything. This story emphasizes creative solutions to loquaciousness that don’t squelch a child’s spirit. Ruby is surrounded by caring Black adults (including Mrs. Hansen and Ms. Gale) who encourage her inquisitiveness but help her channel it into positive avenues. Speech and thought bubbles give readers a view into Ruby’s perspective, and Jose’s whimsical, colorful digital illustrations depict a diverse classroom.

A wonderful tale certain to inspire youngsters to find creative outlets for their curiosity. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: May 14, 2024

ISBN: 9780593618899

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Kokila

Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2024

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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LITTLE BLUE TRUCK AND RACER RED

From the Little Blue Truck series

by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by Jill McElmurry ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 25, 2025

A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share.

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In this latest in the series, Little Blue Truck, driven by pal Toad, is challenged to a countryside race by Racer Red, a sleek, low-slung vehicle.

Blue agrees, and the race is on. Although the two start off “hood to hood / and wheel to wheel,” they switch positions often as they speed their way over dusty country roads. Blue’s farm friends follow along to share in the excitement and shout out encouragement; adult readers will have fun voicing the various animal sounds. Short rhyming verses on each page and several strategic page turns add drama to the narrative, but soft, mottled effects in the otherwise colorful illustrations keep the competition from becoming too intense. Racer Red crosses the finish line first, but Blue is a gracious loser, happy to have worked hard. That’s a new concept for Racer Red, who’s laser-focused on victory but takes Blue’s words (“win or lose, it’s fun to try!”) to heart—a revelation that may lead to worthwhile storytime discussions. When Blue’s farm animal friends hop into the truck for the ride home, Racer Red tags along and learns a second lesson, one about speed. “Fast is fun, / and slow is too, / as long as you’re / with friends.”

A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: March 25, 2025

ISBN: 9780063387843

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S TRANSPORTATION

- BOOK REVIEW
LITTLE BLUE TRUCK MAKES A FRIEND
by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by Jill McElmurry

- BOOK REVIEW
TIME FOR SCHOOL, LITTLE BLUE TRUCK
by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by John Joseph

- BOOK REVIEW
LITTLE BLUE TRUCK'S VALENTINE
by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by John Joseph

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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)