Ruby the Rambunctious

by José Carlos Andrés, Lucía Serrano (Illustrator)

A hopeful story about the things that make us unique. Ruby is a little girl with lots of energy! But recenty she has been falling down a lot. When she runs, she falls; when she dances, she falls; when she picks something up, she often drops it. Everyone thinks she's a bit clumsy! When Ruby is told she has a disability, her parents start treating her very differently. They never tell her off, even when she behaves badly… She draws on her dad’s favourite painting… nothing, she puts her mum’s tablet in the bath… nothing. Ruby just wants to be treated the same as her two brothers.  

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Family

40 pages, Hardcover

Published April 11, 2023

Reviews

[Barbara · Rating 2 out of 5]

This picture book is a 2.5 for me. Its positive message and slightly different take on disabilities is refreshing enough, but the execution was lacking, at least for me. I'd have preferred having the protagonist's disability named rather than being left vaguely stated as muscles not working well. Nevertheless, the book might prompt some thinking and conversations about how we treat someone with a disability. Being treated as different from other youngsters and not subject to the normal rules and behavioral expectations might have negative effects. In the story, Ruby is diagnosed with muscle issues that cause her to fall and appear to be clumsy. After her diagnosis, Ruby's parents deal with her by being quite lenient and not holding her accountable for her unacceptable behavior, even when she pushes the limits. After all, her two brothers are constantly being corrected and chastised so why shouldn't she? After throwing a fit and demanding to be treated just like them, Ruby gets her wish, and the stress at home eases. Her parents have to accept that she might have physical challenges, but those are just one part of her. She's just as rambunctious as she's ever been, and her disability won't stop her from being true to herself--and getting into a bit of trouble once in awhile. The illustrations show just how much of a hellion Ruby can be as well as vividly depicting her parents' attempts to say nothing and to treat her as someone emotionally fragile.

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book tells the story of a rambunctious little girl named Ruby who is definitely the silly one in her family. After a while of Ruby being seen as clumsy and falling over a lot, her family takes her to doctors and one says her muscles don't work very well. Her parents start treating her with limited discipline, and she gets away with crazy things, until she protests that she wants to be treated the same as everyone else. Her brother jumps in at that point and says that she can't be the same because she is special. She then gets a wheel chair but keeps being her rambunctious self. I kind of wish the author had gone into a bit more depth about the disability and diagnosis, to give readers a bit more context for the parent's behaviour, but perhaps that is just because I'm an adult and want more information. I think kids would enjoy this story and could see Ruby and her disability as an inspiration. I would recommend this book to parents and teachers of children in the age 4-9 range. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read and review this book!

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book. Ruby is rambunctious. She is crazy and loves to play and be on the move. Ruby also falls down, a lot! Turns out Ruby has a medical problem and her parents starting treating her differently. They let Ruby get away with things her brothers get in trouble for, and Ruby hates being treated different. Ruby has to let her parents know that she may be different, but it’s just different. Punish me! Treat me like my brothers. I will be okay. I love the message of this book. We see Ruby grow and her condition worsen, but she is always rambunctious and always life loving, making her brothers be the ones to keep up.

[Dayanara Garza · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about a young girl who has different capabilities than her brothers, but wants to be treated the same. She is on a wheelchair and she knows that she may stand out, but she doesn't want to be treated differently because she still wants to be the same Ruby. This can be used in the classroom to teach children that although someone may look different than you because they have special needs, they shouldn't be treated differently. Reading the book from Ruby's perspective, the children can learn that they don't want to be treated differently just because they are on a wheelchair.

[Grace Calvin]

This story is about Ruby, a rambunctious little girl. Lately, she has stating to drop things and become "clumsy" as people said. Ruby finds out that she has a disability, but she just wants to be treated the same as everyone else. This would be a good story to have in my class to be a window for some children and possibly a mirror for others who have gone through a similar experience themselves or in their family.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was interesting, and I liked that it emphasized how Ruby's parents kind of treated her differently at first when they found out she had a disability, but I would have liked it if the muscle disability would have been explained.

[Katy Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a young girl who finds out about her disability. Her parents struggle the most because they don't know how to treat her anymore. But she just wants to be treated just like her brothers. I would use this book to talk about treating everyone equally no matter the reason.

[Andréa]

Note: I received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

[Quinn Peralta · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a beautifully illustrated story about a girl who has a disability and how she wants her parents and siblings to treat her. Very well done.

[MaryAnne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ruby is always falling and gradually looses her use of some muscles which necessitates she use a wheelchair. The reader isn’t provided any information about what kind of disability Ruby has.

[Anitamiarmita · Rating 4 out of 5]

🪁Hoy os traigo un cuento muy especial y con un mensaje del que debemos aprender todos. Se trata de #AinhoaRevoltosa de #JoseCarlosAndrés y #LucíaSerrano
🤸‍♀️Ainhoa es una niña que siempre se está cayendo y todos, incluso ella, la creen torpe; pero el motivo es que padece una enfermedad muscular.
🤹‍♀️A partir de esta noticia sus padres empiezan a tratarla de manera especial y ella se siente diferente a los demás. Menos mal que ella y su hermano les darán una lección.
🧩Este cuento está basado en una historia real y debemos aprender que no debemos tratar a los demas de forma diferente porque tengan algún tipo de minusvalía. Lejos de hacer sentir a Ainhoa bien, le hace sentirse excluida.
🪂Este cuento es de la editorial @nubeocho a los que agradezco que lo hayan puesto en mis manos. La edición es en tapa dura, con páginas a todo color y tiene 40 páginas y está indicado para niños a partir de 3 años.
🏆Sin duda un cuento del que aprender a ser más empáticos con los demás, sean de la condición que sean.

[Oier Quincoces · Rating 3 out of 5]

2,5.