The World of Ruby Red Shoes

A Book about Ruby’s Day        ISBN: 9781460756935 HB RRP $14.99

A Book about Ruby’s Feelings ISBN: 9781460756928 HB RRP $14.99

Series: The World of Ruby Red Shoes by Kate Knapp. (Harper Collins, 2018.)

Reviewed by Julie Anne Thorndyke

A Book about Ruby’s Day and A Book about Ruby’s Feelings are two new releases in The World of Ruby Red Shoes Series by Kate Knapp. Designed as small, square, hardbacks in the style of Beatrix Potter’s child-sized volumes, interestingly, these books have none of the earthy naughtiness of Peter Rabbit or Jemima Puddleduck. These are cute, pastel, feminine books, each with a positive tone and a consistent illustration style like up-market greeting cards.

The endpapers feature a floral design reminiscent of a Liberty print or Laura Ashley wallpaper. Each two-page spread, on sturdy matte paper, features a stylised illustration and a rhyming text. The anthropomorphised white hare wears classic “little girl” outfits, and of course, her signature red shoes, all hand-drawn in pencil, ink and watercolour. Each page has a stanza of two or more rhyming couplets.

The poetry is even and sunny, no surprises, drama or flashes of brilliance await the reader. The words and pictures are comforting, predictable, optimistic. Even the negative emotions in the Feelings book are rounded off with a strategy for coping, e.g.

“So now when I’m cross, it’s a sign to me

To relax somewhere quiet, like under a tree.”

Ruby’s Day features the events of a small child’s life: mealtimes, school, nap time, bath time, bedtime, and so on. It is a reassuring book to share, perhaps with a child who struggles with routines. The gentle reassurance of the rhyming text and the safe, flower-filled world Ruby inhabits offer a peaceful reading experience.

The first books in The World of Ruby Red Shoes series were alphabet and counting books. These new titles add to the collection in an educative way for preschool story times.

The Ruby Red Shoes Series is a related set of books about travel adventures to Paris and London, for an older audience. There is a related range stationery and  giftware.

These sweet little books will be popular as new-baby presents and gifts from grandparents. Snuggle up and read one with your special little hare soon.

Learn with Ruby Red Shoes. Counting book and Alphabet Book

Learn with Ruby Red Shoes. Counting book and Alphabet Book by Kate Knapp. (Harper Collins publishers) RRP $13.08 PB 978-1-4607-5691-1

Reviewed by Julie Dascoli

Ruby Red Shoes is a white hare who loves to learn. Hop along with Ruby and her chickens as they learn how…

Kate Knapp’s Learning with Ruby red shoes counting book and Alphabet Book are a lovely addition to her vast body of works in the Ruby Red Shoes story collection.

This experienced and esteemed children’s author and artist from Brisbane, works from her design studio, Twiggseeds. As well as books, Kate produces stationary, cards and prints and more all by hand, using pencil, ink and watercolour.

Kate has created beautiful, hard cover books for two to seven-year olds. The gorgeous satin finish and small size is perfect for this age group to browse alone or as a read aloud, bed time story.

They are rhyming stories, with cheerful rhythm and rhyme. I can clearly imagine children asking for these stories again and again, and memorising the verses.

The examples for each, either letter or number is refreshingly different. Such as A is for angels rather than the usual apple and the numbers relating to the antics that Ruby and her pet chickens get up to is also refreshing. I also liked that the numbers go up to twelve instead of stopping at ten.

The illustrations are sweet, gentle, cartoon drawings in pastel shades, giving the books a very old-world appearance.

Ruby’s chickens, which feature a little more heavily in the Alphabet book, have cheeky, endearing expressions on their faces. (How is that even possible on a chicken?) This made me smile.

I think Learn with Ruby Red Shoes Alphabet Book and Learn with Ruby Red Shoes Counting Book would make a lovey addition to any library, at a kindergarten, home or community.

Ruby Red Shoes goes to London

Ruby Red Shoes goes to London by Kate Knapp (Angus & Robertson) HB RRP $19.95   ISBN 978-0-732297-62-6

Reviewed by Karen Hendriks

Ruby Red Shoes Goes to London is the third book in Australia’s popular and most well travelled series that 4-8 year old children are sure to love.

Ruby the hare loves to travel and this time, wearing her ruby red shoes of course, she’s off to London with its red phone boxes, red letterboxes and red buses.  Maybe she’ll meet the Queen? Maybe she’ll have a delightful afternoon tea?  But there is more to this clever book than travel tales. It warms your heart from the inside out with family love and an understanding of death.  This book shows that we are all connected to the vast universe.  Ruby is full of wonder as she embraces the magic of living in and exploring London.  Most of all, there is gratitude for the place she calls home.

Kate Knapp’s illustrations shine with a whimsical touch that has superbly illustrated the story.  The soft colours have a very English feel and show life in London so well from the trains that run along burrows and swoosh alongside platforms to the hop on, hop off, red buses and all the London sights along the way. There are little snippets of information through the illustrations which help add to the story.  The sheer wonder of Buckingham Palace is so beautifully illustrated with detail.   London looks truly delightful.

The text paints London accurately with descriptive words and verbs -- for example ‘Ruby receives their affections with open arms, so much so that she is soon off-balance and sitting in a joyful pool of corgi cuddles and kisses.’

The book touches upon the topics of adventure and travel, family and friends, the universe, our global connection to the world and so much more.   Ruby Red Shoes is a book to be loved and treasured forever.  It is well worth a read for both children and adults.