Ruby's Beauty Shop (Max and Ruby)

PreSchool-Grade 1-When Louise brings her "Deluxe Beauty Kit" over to Ruby's house, the Beauty Shop is open for business. Even though Max wants to experiment with the kit's contents, the girls insist that he be their first customer. Once their games shift away from him, the young rabbit transforms his look in his own way-ending up green with blue and orange feet. And when Grandma calls, she makes an appointment with him for a colorful makeover as well. Young readers will be able to relate to the make-believe games, but the story is not as humorous or memorable as Wells's earlier titles. An additional purchase.
Shara Alpern, The Free Library of Philadelphia
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Louise brings her Deluxe Beauty Kit over to Ruby's house, and she and Ruby give Max a makeover in Ruby's Beauty Salon by Rosemary Wells. When Grandma calls, she asks Max to do her makeup and she's in for a surprise!
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

PreS.-K. Like Bunny Cakes (1997) and the other uproarious books about Max and his bossy older sister, Ruby, this starts with a preschooler's puzzled view of adult ritual and then goes wild with it. When Ruby and her friend play beauty shop, they give Max a makeover--nails, a bouffant wig, eye shadow--and they make him "gorgeous." But then he takes control, and he really transforms himself--and his wonderful grandmother, too. Besides letting the small kid subvert the powerful, older sibling, Wells' simple words and mischievous pictures add another wonderful dimension here: Max is a child, but he's also a bunny--a furry, hairy bunny--and when he uses hair dye, green and purple . . . Forget all complaints about anthropomorphism; this is an animal laughing at humans. Hazel Rochman
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