Ruby the Copycat

Ruby insists on copying Angela, until her teacher helps her discover her own creative resources

Kindergarten-Grade 2-- A book with a strong story and complementary illustrations that addresses the philosophical question of individuality vs. conformity. Ruby, the new girl at school, is immediately taken with Angela's bright red bow. At lunchtime she hops home and returns with a similar bow in her hair. Throughout the week she copies not only what Angela wears but also what she says and does. By Friday Angela is fed up. Their teacher tells Ruby, ``You can be anything you want to be, but be Ruby first.'' On Monday Ruby has moved on to copying her. Prodded by Miss Hart, she admits to having simply spent her weekend hopping, at which point she starts a hopping jamboree and now she is the one who is copied. Watch out-- young readers will immediately begin doing the ``Ruby Hop.'' The artwork is reminiscent of both Amy Schwartz and Kevin Henkes; it's fun, expressive, character oriented, and done in colorful pencil-and-ink drawings. A small gem. --Martha Topol, Northwestern Michigan College, Traverse City, MI
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

It seems that something other than coincidence is at work when diminutive Ruby, a newcomer to Miss Hart's class, is entranced by schoolmate Angela's attention-getting red bow and returns from lunch with an identical bow atop her head. Ruby's maddening habit becomes increasingly apparent as she happily endures a rainbow of wet paint in imitation of Angela's hand-painted outfit, proudly plagiarizes Angela's poetry and tries pink press-on nails after admiring Miss Hart's manicure. Finally, challenged to display a talent all her own, Ruby admits that she likes to hop and masterfully bounces around her desk. To her surprise, she impresses her classmates and wins Angela's friendship at last. Rathmann's expressively illustrated, quirky and individualistic first book encourages readers to have confidence and not to take skills, however unimpressive they may seem, for granted. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

At first, when new-girl Ruby imitates Angela, Angela takes it in good part: they must be kindred spirits. But as she realizes that Ruby's claims (only Angela was really a bridesmaid) aren't true, Angela is ever-more annoyed with her mimicry. A sensitive teacher helps Ruby see that doing her own thing is a better way to make friends. Rathmann plots the evolution of a friendship going sour, primary-grade style, with sensitivity and just enough exaggeration to provide humor. It's too bad that the teacher is needed to help Ruby understand the effect of her behavior, but her gradual realization is believably drawn, and children have been known to profit from good advice. Like the text, the simple illustrations nicely capture the nuances of the characters' feelings. A solid debut. Picture book. 4-8) -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.