Just for Me

May 1, 2019
When Ruby has something special, it's hard for her to share. Ruby, who appears white, likes to say "Just for me!" about all her special things: her dolly, a castle built of blocks, sprinkles on cookies, a turn at the mirror with Daddy's shaving cream. When her brown-skinned friend arrives--"a friend just for me"--Ruby continues to smilingly declare ownership of everything. The two-wheeler and the bubbles don't cause much trouble, but when Ruby tries to grab the tiara off her (unnamed) friend's head, she isn't smiling--and soon, neither is her friend. A broken tiara teaches Ruby to use the words "for me and you," leading to "a good-bye hug just for you." A silhouette of her parents walking with her on the last spread shows readers that her Mommy and Daddy are "just for" Ruby...but only "for now." Visible paint strokes and strong colors make for textured and dynamic illustrations, though a too-varied color palette keeps the book from settling into a particular tone or mood. Ruby's possessiveness will be familiar to many a toddler, and while the final image may need to be explained to younger readers, her turn-around is as instructive as it is intended to be. While Ruby's claiming her friend as "just for [her]" is true to toddler development, that Ruby seems white and her friend appears black is quite unfortunate. There are better books out there on the sharing theme, but this one will do in a pinch. (Picture book. 2-5)

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July 1, 2019

Toddler-PreS-In this follow-up to Just One More, Ruby, a blonde, blue-eyed little girl, likes to say, "Just for me!" each time she acquires something special: a dolly, a toy castle, and even a friend! A brown-skinned child in green rain boots comes running up Ruby's sidewalk; but quickly, Ruby claims things are just for her. When her friend tries on a tiara, Ruby grabs it back, which results in it snapping in half. Ruby's father exclaims his displeasure and suggests: "How about sharing when it's more than just you?" The subsequent pages illustrate playtime for two, and a goodbye hug "just for you," and, in final spread, "Mommy and Daddy just for you..." with a pregnant Mommy on the opposite page "for now." Large-scale digitally enhanced oil painted illustrations on bright, solid-colored pages focus the action and complement the story clearly. VERDICT Pair with Anna Dewdney's Llama Llama Time to Share for a storytime focused on sharing. Recommended for large picture book collections.-Brianne Colombo, Fairfield Free Public Library, NJ

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