Ruby & Rufus

December 15, 2018
A little wintery weather can't dampen these goslings' love of water.As the title says, Ruby and Rufus, two anthropomorphic goslings, "love the water!" After being introduced on facing pages, Ruby, sporting a red bathing cap with white spots, and Rufus, a red-and-white-striped one, cavort in the pond. Ruby swan dives, and Rufus back dives. They swim all day, in all kinds of weather. The illustrations, like the text, are spare, with blue gouache restrained by a thin ink line at the bottoms of the pages to indicate water and lots of open, white space on the upper two-thirds. Props, including a striped inner tube and environmental details, such as falling leaves to show windy weather, embellish the changing scenes, and other small creatures create a sense of conviviality amid the pond setting. A shift at the middle of the book shows the goslings scampering across a light green surface with snow falling around them. The facing page reads "The water is frozen!" and shows a mottled blue surface. After testing the ice, Ruby and Rufus find just as many ways to enjoy it as they did their pond in warmer weather--sliding, tubing, and gliding across its surface. A closing image of a snow-gosling with a carrot beak is the cherry on top of this sweet avian friendship story.There's lots to love here. (Picture book. 2-4)

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March 1, 2019

Toddler-PreS-Dunrea is back with another splendid addition to series. Here, readers meet Ruby and Rufus, two goslings who love to play in the water. With their bright red swim caps, the pair happily swim and dive in the pond come rain or shine. One day, they are surprised to find the pond is frozen. "Ruby taps the ice with her bill. Rufus taps the ice with his foot." Ruby exuberantly exclaims that it is ice, and the goslings proceed to slide, streak, and glide. The illustrations focus on the protagonists and set them against a background of plentiful white space. A horizontal line marking the water line cleanly divides the illustrations from the spare text running along the bottom of the page, and the small trim size makes the book perfect for little hands to hold while an adult reads aloud. VERDICT A swimmingly good title to share in all kinds of weather.-Ramarie Beaver, Plano Public Library System, TX

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from December 15, 2018
Preschool *Starred Review* Ruby and Rufus, two little goslings in red-and-white swimming caps, love the water. They dive into the pond (swan dives for Ruby, back dives for Rufus) and float in their red-and-white inner tube. They swim in rainy and windy weather. Ruby stands upside down in the water, while Rufus chases little fish. Every day, they swim in the pond, until one day, they discover that it's frozen. Ruby taps it with her bill. Rufus taps it with his foot. ?Ice!' honks Ruby. ?Ice?' honks Rufus. Undeterred, Ruby and Rufus slide across the ice. They streak across it together on their inner tube. They love the ice! In fact, they love the pond all year. Rounding out Dunrea's Gossie & Friends series at 12 picture books, his latest has all the simplicity, playfulness, and verve that have made Gossie (2002), Gossie & Gertie (2002), and their companion books so appealing to young children. The text, pared down to a short sentence on each page or spread, tells the story simply and lets the ink-and-gouache artwork do the rest. With white pages as backdrops, clean black lines and bright solid colors define these endearing, childlike characters and their actions. Fun for reading aloud all year round. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)