Ruby the Copycat

by Peggy Rathmann, Peggy Rathmann (Illustrator)

Overview

Ruby keeps copying her classmate, until she learns how much fun it is to be herself.

From Peggy Rathmann, the author of the bestselling GOOD NIGHT, GORILLA!Ruby is a copycat! On the day Angela wears a red bow in her hair, Ruby returns from lunch with a red bow in her hair. When Angela wears a flowered sweater, Ruby returns from lunch wearing a flowered sweater. Ruby even copies Angela's poem!Fortunately, Ruby has the patient and perceptive Miss Hart as her teacher. Miss Hart helps Ruby discover her own creative resources, which keeps Ruby literally jumping for joy!In this sensitive and endearing tale, Peggy Rathmann reveals, with charmingly offbeat illustrations, the universal struggle of a child trying to discover her own individuality.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780545337571
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	11/01/2010
Sold by:	Scholastic, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	696,006
File size:	57 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

Table of Contents

Ruby is a copycat! On the day Angela wears a red bow in her hair, Ruby returns from lunch wearing a red bow in her hair, too!

Fortunately, Ruby has a very perceptive teacher who helps Ruby discover her own creative resources, which keep Ruby literally jumping for joy!

Editorial Reviews

It seems that something other than coincidence is at work when diminutive Ruby, a newcomer to Miss Hart's class, is entranced by schoolmate Angela's attention-getting red bow and returns from lunch with an identical bow atop her head. Ruby's maddening habit becomes increasingly apparent as she happily endures a rainbow of wet paint in imitation of Angela's hand-painted outfit, proudly plagiarizes Angela's poetry and tries pink press-on nails after admiring Miss Hart's manicure. Finally, challenged to display a talent all her own, Ruby admits that she likes to hop and masterfully bounces around her desk. To her surprise, she impresses her classmates and wins Angela's friendship at last. Rathmann's expressively illustrated, quirky and individualistic first book encourages readers to have confidence and not to take skills, however unimpressive they may seem, for granted. Ages 4-8. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

K-Gr 2-- A book with a strong story and complementary illustrations that addresses the philosophical question of individuality vs. conformity. Ruby, the new girl at school, is immediately taken with Angela's bright red bow. At lunchtime she hops home and returns with a similar bow in her hair. Throughout the week she copies not only what Angela wears but also what she says and does. By Friday Angela is fed up. Their teacher tells Ruby, ``You can be anything you want to be, but be Ruby first.'' On Monday Ruby has moved on to copying her. Prodded by Miss Hart, she admits to having simply spent her weekend hopping, at which point she starts a hopping jamboree and now she is the one who is copied. Watch out-- young readers will immediately begin doing the ``Ruby Hop.'' The artwork is reminiscent of both Amy Schwartz and Kevin Henkes; it's fun, expressive, character oriented, and done in colorful pencil-and-ink drawings. A small gem. --Martha Topol, Northwestern Michigan College, Traverse City, MI

School Library Journal