Sara O’Leary’s story and illustrations are delightful! I loved reading about Ruby. Bright, colorful, and sweet.

This was a great interactive story for our pre-school classroom's story time. The book has a really cute main character named Ruby who has big dreams but it also breaks the 4th wall and asks the kids about their own dreams.

“And then she travels to an ordinary afternoon from last week. It was so perfect that she wanted to live it twice.”

This is Ruby, by Sara O’Leary and illustrated by Alea Marley is a beautiful look into Ruby’s life of adventure, experimentation, and living in the moment. She’s creative and curious, and her days are full of colour. The physical copy layout is much better than the Digital copy I first saw, and I just want to mention that.

Recommended ages 3-8
Thanks to NetGalley for making a copy available to review.

This Is Ruby
by Sara O'Leary
Pub Date: 25 May 2021 | Archive Date: 25 May 2021

This is a cute book. Imaginative and creative, this book will allow children to travel through the main character Ruby's imagination. The illustrations are bright, vivid and engaging. Some of the vocabulary may be too difficult for children, but will be a good challenge. I love the representation of coloured and/ or visible minorities.

Thank you NetGalley and Tundra Books for this ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tundra Books for the opportunity to read this advanced copy of This is Ruby. A charming children's book, This is Ruby follows our bright and cheerful protagonist as she lets her imagination take her and her friendly dog, Teddy, to far off times and places. Brightly colored illustrations will keep capture children's attention and questions asked throughout the book will keep their engagement.

After reading this book, I really wanna hang out with Ruby. She's inventive, curious, and enthusiastic in her pursuits, and she's an inspirational kid, reminding her peers they can be whatever they want when they grow up, and that there's always fun to be had. I loved her creativity, and I think kids will enjoy getting to know her. She's got some really fun decorating ideas that I might have to borrow too! And oh my! the illustrations are gorgeous! So bright, colorful, and full of interesting details to look at and get inspiration from (see my comment on decorating ideas above)! Parents will appreciate this too- there's humor in this that only adults will appreciate, such as Ruby traveling back in time to see what dinosaurs really looked like, then going back even further to the day her parents met. This book is great fun, and I think kids will love it.

#NetGalley

A great picture book for kids to start learning about or getting interested in science. I love how the main character is a girl instead of a boy when so many science-related books for kids revolve around boy characters.

~ Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada / Tundra Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review ~

"This is Ruby" was a delight to read, both narratively and visually. I've always believed the curiosity of children should be encouraged, and that's entirely what this book is about, as it follows Ruby, our charming protagonist, and all of the wonderful things in the world that intrigue her. The written material is fast-paced and engaging, while the drawings are bright and cute. "This is Ruby" really was a reminder of how fun it can be to be a kid sometimes. I can't wait to harass all of my friends with kids to check this book out. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I included it in my "Stars of the Month" on my Instagram page, The Story Book Lady from Oz, even before I'd written this review because I didn't want to leave it out. Definitely would recommend to anyone looking to liven up story time.


Summary
Recommended age range: 4-7
Pros: fun, fast-paced story; sweet, colourful drawings
Cons: -

This is Ruby is a charming picture book about a girl called Ruby. It is written by Sara O’Leary and illustrated by Alea Marley (@aleamarley). ⁠
⁠
Book Blurb:⁠
Ruby is a small girl who asks a lot of big questions.⁠
She is full of ideas and always busy.⁠
Maybe you are too?⁠
Ruby likes to think of all the things she could be.⁠
She likes to build and invent and explore.⁠
This is Ruby.⁠
And this is her world.⁠
Step inside.⁠
⁠
Every kid will identify themselves in Ruby. She has an ever-curious mind and the will to reach for the stars. Her inventions are out of the world and she has a co-inventor, her dog. Once I stepped into Ruby’s world, I did not want to come out. The illustrations were wild, imaginative and did justice to the character of Ruby. This is a must-have book in your library.⁠
⁠
Thank you to @netgalley and @tundrabooks for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. ⁠
⁠
Category: children’s picture book⁠
Age range: 3+

I'd love this to add to my classroom collection. This was a lovely eBook which shows so many ways that children's imaginative play can show that they can grow up to do any job they want, it's all about creativity and endless possibilities. Absolutely great, wish it was longer.

See that cute girl on the cover? That’s Ruby, the little girl who seems curious about everything around her. She uses her creativity to fill in her day with amazing ideas and fun exploration. Giving her company on her mindboggling imaginative journeys is her canine companion Teddy.
Children will enjoy and identify with Ruby’s world. It has no limits, it has no rules. She does whatever her heart and mind tell her to do. Adults reading this book to their little ones will be reminded of their own carefree childhood days. The book reminds you to do whatever brings you joy and to live in the moment.
What stands out in the story is that Ruby embraces various options from the STEM field. She will serve as a lovely role model for children of colour, and for girls.
I found the end a little abrupt. But it does pack quite a lot of content within its few pages.
This is one case where the artwork outshines the story. The illustrations are absolutely scrumptiously adorable! Every time I saw Ruby, I felt like ruffling her curls and pulling her cheeks. Every page has a delightful illustration.
Thank you, NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada, for the ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.

5 Stars
I got this book just to stare at Ruby’s cloud of hair. No kidding, look at those cute messy curls crowing her. The book is fairly simple yet wonderful. Ruby is a young girl who loves to be curious and is always trying to learn something new. She’s happy, she’s playful and has a great imagination.
The book focuses more on illustrations (which are too good) and gives an important message about being curious and adventurous. Focus on today and do what makes you happy. It also shows the various options kids Thank you, NetGalley, Penguin Random House Canada, and Tundra Books, for the ARC.

Remember Sadie? This is her friend, Ruby, another creative strong girl who is interested in all things STEM!

Ruby is never bored. This curious, creative, little girl is an explorer, an inventor, and a time traveller. She likes to watch things grow and take things apart to figure out how they work.


She isn't sure what she wants to be when she grows up, but knows her options are endless. These days she is contemplating being an animal conservationist, a doctor, an engineer, or an astronaut. With Teddy, her best friend, she might even become an archaeologist.


Ruby has already accomplished many things. She made a book of smells for animals and others who can't read words. She created a potion that tastes like clouds. She even invented a time machine.


There is so much to love about this book. I liked the bits of humour, especially when Ruby goes back in time to visit the dinosaurs, and then even farther back to when her parents met. I like that her parents may or may not be same sex. I like that Ruby is Black. Energy and joy fill these pages in both words and images.

Alea Marley's illustrations are glorious explosions of colour. Her favourite medium is chunky pencils, watercolour crayons, and digital brushes.

I absolutely loved this book! Ruby is adorable and I love her big hair! The illustrations are beautiful and loved read about all the wonderful fun and exciting adventures Ruby thinks up! Would highly recommend and buy this one for my toddler

Such a sweet book about a fun, inquisitive girl. Colorful illustrations that will grab any child's eye. I love how Ruby is so inventive. She's creating a potion that tastes like clouds and a book that dog's can read. Ruby and her dog, Teddy, are adorable.

*Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Special thanks to NetGalley for providing a digital copy in exchange for an honest review

This was alright. I liked that it asked a lot of questions, making this a good library story time kind of book. But I didn't really feel like there was much of a point to it. It didn't seem to really teach anything or have a specific message. I did like the colorful pages this had though, and I'm sure kids would like it too

Follow Ruby as she observes, discovers, dreams, and creates. With her scientific sense of exploration, she might be an astronaut or an archeologist; a doctor or a conservationist.The engaging text, gentle humor, and delightfully colorful illustrations show her widely varying activities as she goes about her day.

The perfect book to share with children. With exploration and curiosity, they can dream of careers in their future. Needs to be in all elementary classrooms.

I wanted to read this book because of the cover. Isn't it adorable! The illustrations in this book are amazing. They are original, colorful, simple, and appealing. I love that this girl is so interested in different aspects of science. It is wonderful that this book shows you can be interested in many many things. This is a great message to kids. I will be buying it for my school library.

While I loved Ruby's imagination and creativity, the telling of her tale was jarring to me. The story broke the fourth wall and therefore the storytelling for me.