Ruby's Wish [Bargain Price] [Hardcover]

Shirin Yim (Author), Sophie Blackall (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2002

Ruby is unlike most little girls in old China. Instead of aspiring to get married, Ruby is determined to attend university when she grows up, just like the boys in her family. Based upon the inspirational story of the author's grandmother and accompanied by richly detailed illustrations, Ruby's Wish is an engaging portrait of a young girl who strives for more and a family who rewards her hard work and courage.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

First-time kids' book author Shirin Yim Bridges uses a tender family story to travel back to turn-of-the-century China and teach a proto-feminist lesson about perseverance and self-belief.

Idiosyncratic young Ruby lives in a large (and wealthy!) Chinese family, in a gigantic "house filled with the shrieks and laughter of over one hundred children." She stands out because she insists on always wearing red, the color of celebration ("Even when her mother made her wear somber colors like her other cousins, Ruby would tie up her jet-black hair with red ribbons") but even more so because of her quiet dissatisfaction with the family's traditional gender inequity. Determined to study reading and writing--even when it means long hours catching up on more wifely training--Ruby eventually comes to the attention of her grandfather, the wise house patriarch, who springs a surprise as the time for her to wed approaches.

Graceful Aussie illustrator Sophie Blackall captures the culture--contrasted by Ruby's bright red defiance--expertly, with elegant calligraphy, muted period clothing, and countless nice details (from a porcelain bowl full of terrapins to ink smudges on Ruby's cousins' faces). And what's better, Bridges's well-structured story is true--with a fun surprise ending! (Ages 4 to 8) --Paul Hughes

From Publishers Weekly

Bridges, in her first book (based on her grandmother's story), handles the conflict between Chinese tradition and young Ruby's longing to attend university with grace and compassion. She sets the scene with a description of "a block of houses, five houses wide and seven houses deep, [once] the magnificent home of one family." Ruby lives in this home with her grandfather (who "did what rich men did in old China: he married many wives"). A tutor teaches any of the 100 assorted grandchildren who wish to learn, but Ruby is the only girl who continues to study while also keeping pace with learning her many household duties. Bridges characterizes the heroine as confident and spunky. For instance, she "insist[s] on wearing red every day"; opposite, Blackall (A Giraffe for France) gives a nod to Chinese silkscreening with four poetic images of her, one per season, wearing various red outfits. One day, her teacher shows Ruby's grandfather a poem she has written in calligraphy: "Alas, bad luck to be born a girl; worse luck to be/ born into this house where only boys are cared for." Grandfather questions her about the poem, and she confides her wish to go to university. Years later, at a New Year's Day celebration, he proves that he was listening. Blackall conveys their special relationship in subtle ways: Grandfather's presence on the balcony, observing Ruby at her studies, a gentle stroke of her head when Ruby is called to Grandfather's office. This understated tale takes Ruby's predicament seriously while still celebrating her love of learning and her joyful personality. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 36 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (July 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811834905
• ASIN: B0006J5UO6
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 8.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,565,300 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Shirin Yim Bridges is the author of Ruby's Wish, one of Publishers Weekly's Best Children's Books of 2002 and winner of the 2003 Ezra Jack Keats award; The Umbrella Queen, named one of the Best Children's Books of 2008 by TIME magazine; the forthcoming Mary Wrightly So Politely; and The Thinking Girl's Treasury of Real Princesses. All her books are about girls who manage to exert themselves and do the unexpected. Shirin lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

http://www.goosebottombooks.com
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Goosebottom-Books/130515220313366.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gorgeous book with a powerful theme., December 6, 2002

By 

Anonymous (Los Angeles, California United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ruby's Wish (Hardcover)

Serendipity brought this book into our home and I'm so grateful. It is a beautiful book in every way, from its vibrant illustrations to its messages of respect -- for oneself, for one's elders, for one's culture and for the never-ending gift of learning. The story of Ruby, a Chinese girl whose intelligence, integrity and confidence inspired her family patriarch to break with tradition, speaks to all. We are African-American parents of a son. We read this book to him often and we know that, through hearing Ruby's story, our son's perspective on life and the world in which he lives has been enormously enriched.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lovely, true story of a girl in China, March 29, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Ruby's Wish (Hardcover)

Ruby, a little girl living in turn-of-the-century China, is so named because she loves red, not just on holidays, but every day of the year. She also loves to study with her cousins in the school provided by her wealthy grandfather. Her calligraphy is especially fine, and she comes to her grandfathers attention when she writes the couplet Alas, bad luck to be born a girl, worse luck to be born into this house where only boys are cared for. Her grandfather questions her kindly and finds out that she would rather attend university than enter marriagewhich is, of course, expected of all girls at the time...

On the last page we learn that this is a true story, based on the authors grandmother. We also get to see a photograph of this grandmother, one of the first women university students in China. And we learn that every day, she still wears a little red.

This is a gem of a book, with simple yet evocative writing and beautiful illustrations which capture emotions wonderfully and provide a wealth of detail on Chinese dress and décor of the time.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a Great Book!, November 10, 2004

By 

Lynn Ellingwood "The ESOL Teacher" (Webster, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ruby's Wish (Hardcover)

This book is a very inspiring book and I can't believe it hasn't been reviewed before. I don't want to reveal the surprise at the end but it is very sweet. A Chinese girl wants to go to school. What does her grandfather say?