Review by Booklist Review
*Starred Review* Nice to meet you, Ruby. Ruby is a small bird, and it can be tough out there in the big wide world for someone so petite. What makes it easier? A friend, of course, and so Ruby sets out to find one. Hello, my name is Ruby, she first introduces herself to a tall, plumed bird standing in water. The bird invites Ruby to fly with her, and so she does. She also walks alongside a bird the color of a parrot and even gets denied friendship by a peacock (which is followed by a poignant spread of Ruby, forlorn, in the driving rain). Eventually, she meets an emulike moppet named Skeepwock (after the sound it makes), who introduces Ruby to other birds just like her. And the more the merrier, as they say. Stead follows up A Home for Bird (2012) with an equally joyous celebration of color, texture, and memorable, winsome characters. One spread in particular, featuring many tiny red birds flying in the formation of an elephant, delights. The broad crayonlike strokes introduce a world of marshes, blue skies, and tundra, all of which are breathtakingly and simply rendered, but the focus is rightly on the expressive animals that populate it. Birds are certainly not the only creatures that are going to want to be friends with charmer Ruby.--Kelley, Ann Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Stead's (A Home for Bird) latest is simultaneously a story about making friends and a celebration of line, color, and form. Ruby's small yellow body and big beak make her a distant cousin of Charles Schulz's Woodstock, and the birds she introduces herself to sport an array of wacky beaks and frizzy feathers. She flies with a heron and meets a diminutive red bird who takes flight with the rest of its flock to form the silhouette of a huge red elephant in response to Ruby's question, "Are you ever afraid because you are small?" One bird refuses her overtures: "No thank you," it says, and stalks away; Ruby stands dejected, then pushes on. To an ostrichlike bird, she explains, "A name is a sound that is all yours... ROOO-beee, ROOO-beee." "SKEEP-wock," the bird replies. "I have heard your name before." Skeepwock knows where there are many other Rubys-giving Ruby the chance to acquaint new friends and old. Ruby exemplifies the willingness to see the good in everyone, and Stead's artwork echoes her joyousness. Ages 2-6. Agent: Emily Van Beek, Folio Literary Management. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-This deceptively simple tale eloquently explores the universal theme of making friends. "Hello, my name is Ruby," says a small yellow bird as she encounters a variety of avian counterparts and discovers the shared pleasures of flying and walking. Another bird shows her that she need not feel small when she is among friends. But then one of her overtures, "Would you like to be my friend?" is met with rejection when a large bird with striking plumage says, "No, thank you." In a poignant wordless illustration, Ruby stands in the rain, singing a sad song. After the sun dries her feathers, she meets a "curious bird" who peers at her from a great height. Ruby explains that a name "is a sound that is all yours," and the pair exchange names: "ROOO-beee, ROOO-beee-OOO-beee-OOO-beee./SKEEP-wock, replied the bird. SKEEEEEP-wock-wock-wock." Skeepwock is glad to meet her and tells her that he's heard her name before, leading her to a tree full of yellow birds just like her. Stead pairs a minimal amount of text with ingeniously crafted, mixed-media illustrations. Varying perspectives and brilliant use of color and line give voice to Ruby's emotions: from shy wonderment to abject rejection and, finally, infectious delight. This irresistible read-aloud, with its recognizable and much-loved theme, will resonate with children.-Marilyn Taniguchi, Beverly Hills Public Library, CA (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Ruby, a little yellow bird, approaches birds of all feathers in search of friends. She makes many, but when she does meet with rejection, she is sad until she comes upon a whole treeful of birds like her--whereupon she introduces them to all her other friends. The slight plot and overt message of inclusion is enhanced by cheerful, well-composed pictures in scribbly pastels. (c) Copyright 2014. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Stead's flora-filled settings and free-spirited style will feel happily familiar to readers of A Home for Bird (2012); the fresh storyline follows the range of reactions to an extroverted personality. Ruby is a diminutive, yellow bird whose frequent introductions are a touch formal: "I am glad to meet you." She fearlessly initiates conversation with much bigger birds and is the kind of friend who offers ideas and is willing to try the suggestions of others. In the process, much is gleaned about avian (and human) behavior. In a nod to Leo Lionni, a red warbler her size shows Ruby how not to feel small: The flock flies in an elephant formation, their collective shape larger than any pachyderm in the herd. Stead places the protagonist in a variety of situations, at one point allowing listeners to finish a sentence, at another permitting silence to heighten emotion, as when Ruby stands alone in a gray rainstorm, rebuffed. Wide, energetic crayon strokes color her expansive world in shades transitioning from sky blue to sunset coral. Thin circular lines suggest ponds and trees. Rendered in gouache, the expressive animals are the focus, whether on glaciers or in grasslands. A final encounter helps the heroine and readers comprehend and value the concepts of name and identity--and the blessings that reaching out to a diverse community bestows. (Picture book. 3-6)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
