A Friend for Ruby

by Sofie Laguna, Marc McBride (Illustrator)

Overview

When Ruby sees an amazing creature on the beach on her way home from school, she is hopeful she's found a new friend. A gorgeous story about kindness and family and friendship, brought beautifully to life by two incredibly talented creators.

Ruby led the creature out into the garden. She drew a dancing circle in the sand. 'I choose you!' she said to the creature.

Walking along the beach, Ruby finds a strange creature on the shore. She takes it home, feeds it and makes a bed of straw for it in her cubby - but a cubby is no place for a creature from the sea.

Ruby must draw on all her resources to help the creature find their way home - and perhaps, along the way, she might just find an unexpected friendship.

A whimsical tale of friendship, compassion and resourcefulness, from a wonderfully talented creative team.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781761067648
Publisher:	Allen & Unwin
Publication date:	10/01/2024
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.66(w) x 11.22(h) x (d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

SOFIE LAGUNA's many books for young people have been published in the US, the UK and in translation throughout Europe and Asia. She has been shortlisted for the Queensland Premier's Awards, and twice been awarded Honour Book by the Children's Book Council of Australia (CBCA). She is also a highly acclaimed author for adults. Sofie lives in Melbourne with her husband, Marc McBride, and their two young sons.

MARC McBRIDE is the illustrator of Emily Rodda's New York Times best-selling series Deltora Quest, which has sold over 18 million copies worldwide and has become an anime TV show. He has illustrated more than 200 book covers, 10 picture books and countless magazines, and has had work exhibited with the New York Society of Illustrators International Show. He has won Aurealis Awards for the Deltora Quest series, as well as World of Monsters, which he wrote and illustrated. His book The Glimme was Honour Book in the 2020 CBCA awards. His recent books are The Song of Lewis Carmichael,The House on Pleasant Street and The Glow, all written by Sofie Laguna.

Editorial Reviews

"Thrilling journeys abound in this lovely ode to childhood fantasies and sibling bonds" — Kirkus Reviews on When You're Older

From the Publisher

2024-07-04
A lonely girl finds friendship and a sense of purpose when she meets an otherworldly sea creature.

When Ruby discovers the creature, lost and washed up on the shore, she decides to let it stay in her beach hut. Ruby, who’s often teased at school, is grateful for a friend, and she ventures to the bakery to find it food. Eventually, after the creature destroys Ruby’s grandmother’s garden, Ruby realizes it can’t stay. The baker’s daughter, Sonya, helps Ruby and Granma return the creature to the ocean, where it’s reunited with its community; as the tale ends, friendship blossoms between Ruby and Sonya. While the story is somewhat predictable, the hyper-realistic illustrations, a combination of digital painting, acrylic, and oil paint, are utterly engrossing. They make incredible use of shadow and light, and the water looks real enough to touch. The sea creature is both captivating and slightly terrifying, with multiple circular rows of teeth and familiar features reimagined and recomposed: a lizardlike tail, a narwhal’s tusk, and octopus arms extending from its large head. The scene of the ocean monsters together is a sight to see; they appear almost alien and may intimidate little ones, though some will be entranced. Ruby and Granma are light-skinned, while Sonya is Black.

A familiar story distinguished by striking illustrations.(Picture book. 4-6)

Kirkus Reviews