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Library | Call Number | Status |
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Searching... Bayport Public Library | PICTURE BOOK KNA | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
Are you ready for the coziest book of the year, with the charm of a modern-day Beatrix Potter? Pull up your comfiest chair, snuggle under a warm blanket, and discover the peaceful, enchanting world of Ruby Red Shoes and her grandmother, where friends are always welcome.
Ruby Red Shoes is a thoughtful bunny who lives in a colorful painted caravan with her beloved grandmother. She is gentle and kind and cares for all living things. She loves strawberry jam, peppermint tea, long baths, and her wonderful pet chickens!
Children just learning to read on their own will treasure this beautiful story that they can read on their own or enjoy as a read-aloud. Teeming with whimsy, Ruby's mindful, tranquil world embraces the reader like a warm hug. And bedtimes will be gentle, sweet moments, as young readers see Ruby and her grandmother tucked in with a book and a favorite quilt, watching the magical stars twinkle in the velvety sky. Once you've made friends with Ruby Red Shoes, you'll have a friend for life.
"As a student of pleasant companionship, mindful existence, and living one's best life, Ruby Red Shoes excels, paws down."-- Publishers Weekly
"Everything about this book asks readers to go slowly, to put aside the expected, and to savor the simplicity of the moment."-- Kirkus
Author Notes
KATE KNAPP is an Australian author and illustrator. Her design and illustration studio, Twigseeds, has given flight to a world of colorful characters, including the charming and much-loved hare Ruby Red Shoes, who has appeared in books, as a plush toy, and on charming housewares. Kate creates all her artwork by hand, using pencil, ink, watercolor . . . and a bit of magic. Learn more about her work and Ruby Red Shoes at rubyredshoes.com.au and follow her on Instagram at @Twigseeds.
Reviews (3)
Bookseller Publisher Review
Ruby Red Shoes is a white hare, so named after footwear given to her by her grandma when she was a baby. Raised by her gentle babushka to be an aware hare', Ruby grows up sensitive to everyone's feelings and learns to talk and sing to flora and fauna. She spends most of her time pottering in the garden, growing all the produce and flowers. Alliteration is used in the text but sparingly: busy bees are calmed with gentle words, while crunchy carrots and ravishing radishes are great for snacking. Kate Knapp's illustrations impress with their delicacy and gorgeous use of colour. Her artwork is dainty and pretty, from the brightly decorated caravan that Ruby lives in, to the pink blossoming tree in her garden and the assorted knick-knacks that adorn her home. However, there's also lots of white space around the drawings, which gives the book a clean and uncluttered feel. The loving relationships that Ruby cultivates in her environment and the self-sufficient and resourceful messages in the book are appealing. Primary school-aged children, especially girls, will delight in pictures of buttons in jars, posies in jugs and beautifully dressed Ruby who's always wearing a pair of red shoes. Thuy On is a Melbourne-based reviewer
Publisher's Weekly Review
Named for various shoes "the color of radishes" that she's worn since she was a baby rabbit with very cold feet, Ruby Red Shoes stars in a series in Australia. In soothing, succinct prose and dainty pencil and watercolor drawings, Knapp's introductory volume explains how the Mary Engelbreit--esque bunny is being raised by her wise grandmother, Babushka Galina Galushka, to be "an aware hare"--kind to herself and others, and a good steward of the planet. But rather than offer a narrative arc that might test these qualities--or any kind of narrative arc at all (aside from a fleeting moment when Ruby imagines she's in a bathtub that takes off on an adventure)--the author opts for a lifestyle approach. Pages extol the "prettily painted" caravan that's her home, her lovely things ("generous teacups for hot drinks, feathery quilts to snuggle up in"), her expertly tended garden, and a flock of "jazzy" chickens who adore learning French ("oeuf = egg" says the blackboard in the al fresco classroom). As a student of pleasant companionship, mindful existence, and living one's best life, Ruby Red Shoes excels, paws down. Ages 3--7. (Jan.)
Kirkus Review
Ruby, a white hare, always wears red shoes.Her first pair came from Babushka Galina Galushka, the grandmother she lives with in a sweetly decorated caravan, evocative of Eastern Europe. Though the title suggests that Ruby might learn or teach a lesson about awareness in the story, this book offers almost nothing in the way of plot. There is little interaction between Ruby and Babushka Galushka, no dialogue outside of the grandmother's advice to treat feelings as "delicate birds' eggs," and no additional named characters. What this work offers in abundance is a sweet satisfaction with the day to day. Ruby's unhurried routine showcases the role of humble objects within it, such as capacious teacups, energetic, engaged chickens, and a billowing clothesline. While some readers may find such inaction, well, boring, others may appreciate sensing the comfort of home. A charming cadence shapes the narrative, making it appealing to read aloud. Within the clean, sophisticated illustrations, notable attention is paid to the small details, such as holes in each individual button in a jar, tiny petals folded tightly on flowers, and slightly rounded points on Ruby's colored pencils. Everything about this book asks readers to go slowly, to put aside the expected, and to savor the simplicity of the moment. Surprisingly pleasant. (Picture book. 5-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
