I absolutely loved this book and will be purchasing it for our library. The text is simple and relatable and the illustrations are stunning!

I LOVED this book. The art style is so cute and the colors are incredibly pleasant to look at. I love that the book has interactive questions and will teach young children new words. I love that this book encourages creativity and experimenting with the overall message to enjoy every day and follow your dreams. I will absolutely be reading this in storytime and giving it to friends' children as gifts.

Title: This is Ruby
Author: Sara O’Leary
Illustrator: Alex Marley
Genre: Children’s Book
Pages: 32
Publication Date: 5/25/2021

This is Ruby is a delightful children’s book featuring a black main character named Ruby and her dog, Teddy. Ruby is incredibly curious and spends a lot of time thinking about what she wants to do when she grows up. She also starts implementing many of her ideas like a book that you can read via smell and a time machine.

The illustrations are gorgeous with rich vibrant colors as she explores possible careers in the STEM field. The story is simple – targeted at ages 3 to 7. Most pages have a single sentence of text and lean on pictures. I appreciated that the text several times tries to engage the young reader by asking them questions.

What I loved the most about this book is the representation. Ruby is depicted as smart and interested in science-based careers. She shows creativity and an adventurous spirit throughout the book. Ruby is also depicted with her natural kinky hair. As black women/girls are often criticized for their natural hair, it was refreshing to see Ruby depicted with natural hair and being interested in STEM.

The only con I see is that I feel like the book covered too much content – both careers and a time machine. I still think the book is wonderful as is – but do wish there was more focus on one element or the other. (Maybe a second book could focus on the omitted item.)

I will definitely plan to buy this book for my four-year-old nephew and encourage you to as well!

Welcome to the world of Ruby the curious and creative! Accompanied by delightful intricate and
colorful illustrations to go with the ideas Ruby comes up with for future careers, this is an absolutely perfect book for the girls in my family! An excellent asset to any home or library!
I requested and received a free temporary ebook from Penguin Random House Canada/Tundra Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

Ruby is such a wonderful character who is very enthusiastic about life and interested in learning. It was wonderful to see a little girl having many different interests and leaning into her curiosity. The moments Ruby chooses to visit when she steps into her time machine were very sweet well chosen. The book gives lots of opportunities for children to think and discuss their own thoughts about different careers and interests. Also, the illustrations are incredible!

I think I've found my newest staff pick! This book is exactly the kind of book I love to sell. Beautiful illustrations, and an encouraging story, THIS IS RUBY is another winner from Sara O'Leary.

My Thoughts
I love STEM-related children’s books. Here are my pros and cons for This is Ruby:

Pros
1. First, the illustrations by Alea Marley are just perfect.
2. I love that this is about a little girl who loves to learn and loves to figure out how things work!
3. This book reinforces the idea that girls can grow up to be anything they want to be! Ruby dreams of becoming an animal conservationist, a doctor, an inventor, an archeologist, and just about everything in between!
4. I love how Ruby gets her dog involved in her activities! So cute!

Cons
None.

Summary
Any book that encourages kids to learn and dream big is a great book in my opinion! If you have an inquisitive child, this would be a great book to encouraging them to keep dreaming and learning!

Written for reading ages 3 to 7.

Thank you NetGalley and Tundra Books for providing an ebook, which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

This is a perfect book for a play advocate like me. It shows all the wonderful places your imagination can take you and the many things that play may or may not lead to when you are a grown. It also relishes living in the moment. Another aspect I like about this book are the interactive elements promoting discussion between parent/teacher and child. It' can be difficult to find books with children of diverse cultures, race and ability that are not specifically about that difference - Ruby does this perfectly.
There isn't really a story to the book but it has a good message and would be a valuable addition to my diverse library of books.

This was a really sweet, motivational book. The story was cute and my daughter's really enjoyed it. Ruby is an inspiration and the illustrations were beautiful.

I love Ruby! This book is great for students who are just learning to read. It keeps the reader engaged by asking questions. I also love how Ruby is an explorer and takes the reader with her to each of her careers and time travelling.

Ruby is a little girl with a wide an varied range of interests. She spends the book exploring these interests, while the art gets more and more colourful and almost psychedelic.

Look, this book isn't about the story, it's about the excellent, excellent art.

Sure, there is a theme of being yourself, which is a great theme, but also one that about 90% of picture books have these days.

Get it for the art. Also get a dog and call it Teddy, it'll be fun.

Cute children’s book all about a little girl named Ruby and her vivid imagination. The pages are full of different ways Ruby has used her imagination and the things she has done. The illustrations are adorable!

I love this cute picture book. I really enjoyed the story. The illustrations were on point and followed the storyline. I recommend this book to young boys and girls. I give this book a 5-star rating.

"More! More!" That thought in my mind, plus the dopey little grin on my face as I was reading, are clear evidence that I LOVED this book by Sara O'Leary! I need more stories like this in my life (and my library).

"This Is Ruby" the colorful title boldly announces, accompanying a smiling little girl with arms akimbo, as if readers SHOULD know who this child is. As told by an anonymous third-person narrator, Ruby experiments, creates, dreams and questions her way through her world while radiating confidence, joy and excitement on every page. If only ALL our children felt that same inspiration about learning! To that end, the narrator often asks the reader an inviting question, drawing him or her into Ruby's life and story, too.

And now a word about the illustrations by Alea Marley. THEY. ARE. STUNNING! The kaleidoscope page took my breath away! How I wish I had had this book last week when I was trying to explain what a kaleidoscope is to some kiddos. Ruby's adorable best friend, Teddy, is presumably a dog, but he could be a dinosaur, and his polka-dotted ears and endearing smile make him precious, regardless. Several illustrations are clearly tropically-inspired, and in fact the endpaper reveals that the illustrator spent her childhood in Barbados, where the story is set. Vivid, detailed, intriguing...the illustrations perfectly complement a story about a creative, curious child.

I think I've said enough, but some awesome vocabulary talking points appear in this story, too: conservationist...excavations...potion...archaeologist. Between the invitations to interact, the absolutely fun illustrations, and the examples of all the ways a creative child's mind works, this is a fabulous addition to any home or school library.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the digital galley in exchange for an honest review.

such a cute book that could easily be used for a lesson plan in ece. something I would for sure have in my classroom and the illustrations were top-notch as well. I appreciate how colorful this book was and how the main character was black as I feel there need to be more covers showing black characters.

This Is Ruby inspiring children everywhere to dream their best dream, be creative, inquisitive, and brave with this ADORABLE picture book! Love the simple, colourful illustrations demonstrating just who Ruby is and how she looks at life!

5 stars!

Ruby is a little girl that has big dreams. She loves to explore the world and definitely sees things through a scientific lens, and has a big imagination.
This book fits so many needs in the children's book world. It has a multicultural character. It is a girl who is interested in STEM, instead of just being a princess.
The narrator introduces us to Ruby, but also asks questions of the reader, allowing parent and child to have discussions about the world around them. It is a cute book that helps fill a gap in children's literature.

Super cute book, love all the colors and the inspiration she sets for herself. Would recommend this for a children's collection.

This is Ruby is the sweetest book about a young girl named Ruby taking us through her day. This book unlocks and shares a part of the brightness of childhood with us that is really wonderful. The art style is precious and reminds me of the books I read as a child. I love how much of Ruby is just playful and fun energy. This book was so sweet and I'd recommend it to anyone.

Thank you so much NetGalley and PRH Canada for the ARC. This was ADORABLE! Ruby is the cutest and I loved the questions posed throughout the book. This will be make an excellent readaloud with my younger kiddos. Will absolutely be procuring a copy for our library. Also, the illustrations were absolutely beautiful!