Ruby Lu, Brave and True

by Lenore Look and illustrated by Anne Wilsdorf

New York:  Atheneum Books for Young Readers (2004)

In Ruby Lu, Brave and True, Lenore Look illuminates the magical world of a child's imagination.  Ruby Lu is an (almost) eight year old Asian American girl who is experiencing some brand new things.  She has a baby brother (who gives away her magician's secrets!), she goes to Chinese school (on Saturdays), and she even learns to drive!  In each chapter, Ruby performs in her own magic shows, finds out that bullies sometimes "just need a blanket," and learns Chinese.  She also learns some important lessons, like the value of making a new friend--"You never know when a new friend might become another best friend" (p. 7)--and the importance of family.  Through lighthearted anecdotes and creative phrasing, Lenore reminds the reader how thin the barrier is between reality and imagination when you wear a mysterious magic cape that "makes you look as old as ten and very sophisticated" (p. 28).

One of my favorite aspects of this novel is Look's use of language.  She repeats certain phrases multiple times across the chapters so that young readers can get an idea of how flexible figurative language can be.  I particularly love when "Ruby's tongue drops out" (p. 29), like when she meets her new Chinese school teacher, who is a beautiful princess who used to be able to turn into a mermaid.  Look goes on to explain this phrase, in this case by describing how Ruby does not know what to say.  The use of the funny phrase, rather than just the more common explanation, grabs the reader's attention and makes her think about what Look might mean.  With young readers, this is very helpful in building figurative vocabulary and awareness.

I also really like the fact that Look writes the way Ruby thinks.  With childish (but still sophisticated) language, the reader can glimpse into the world of childhood, where magic capes can transform you into a tree frog and tights can make you a gecko.  New experiences are described in a way that young readers would understand, and the experiences are not unique to a child who attends Chinese school.  For instance, although Ruby does struggle to learn Chinese, she also deals with a neighborhood bully, which many kids can understand.  Through the use of common, every-day experiences, Look presents Ruby's life in a light that children can relate to, regardless of nationality.

Finally, the illustrations are perfect for the tone of this book.  The limited pictures show Ruby's main emotions:  when she is mad at her brother, when she is exuberantly driving a car, and when she and her neighborhood friends tentatively go to Christina's house after she comes home from the hospital.  They augment the story without giving it completely away, which gives aid for young readers without allowing them to rely completely on the drawings.  One really cute detail is that the bottom right hand corners of the pages comprise a flip book of one of Ruby's magic tricks!  Flipping through these pages creatively engages children with the story in a new way.

I really enjoyed this story for several reasons.  The themes are appropriate and relatable for kids; the language used is creative and introduces many techniques of figurative language; the illustrations depict key scenes and emotions without giving away too much of the story; and, the plot line itself is swift and allows lessons to be told in a succinct, understandable way.  This would be a great read aloud and a way to promote cultural understanding in an elementary classroom.