Ruby Maps Her World - by Jane Yolen (Hardcover)

About the Book

On her first solo mapping day, Ruby ventures into her neighborhood with her cartographer mom.

Book Synopsis

A STEM-focused picture book about Ruby, a curious child who is eager to map the world around her, by beloved children's book author Jane Yolen.

It's Ruby's first time drawing a map all by herself. She eagerly grabs her journal and markers and heads outside with her mama close behind. Down the street, under the railroad bridge, and through the park--her mapping has begun. With each step, Ruby draws key elements of her route, carefully adding details as she goes: bikers on the trail, birds in the sky, deer in the meadow. By the end of her special day, Ruby's map is bursting with interesting observations.

This thoughtful picture book introduces the concept of mapping. It spotlights how a child's daily life is filled with small maps--whether inside or outside, on the sidewalk or in the park--and reinforces how those maps help us tell our stories.

Review Quotes

"[This book] discusses the rewards of teaching kids to create their own maps. In this fundamentally quiet story, Ruby's parents, though apparently separated or divorced, find a way for each of them to be with Ruby on her birthday. The expressive digital illustrations reflect this picture book's positive tone and happy ending."--Booklist

"Measured text by Yolen and reportorial watercolor-textured digital illustrations by Phumiruk convey a knowable and approachable landscape....With its reliance on an individual's renderings, the book offers a lovely revelation: the best maps don't just show where one is, but also how one relates and what one perceives."--Publishers Weekly

"Phumiruk's clean illustrations in soft colors are a sedate foil to Ruby's hand-drawn icons representing each thing she sees on her walk, with dotted lines charting her path and written notes labeling her pictures. Each image of a real-life scene is juxtaposed with Ruby's interpretation, giving readers the feeling of peeking into her notebook.....Will most certainly inspire young cartographers to chart their own worlds. "--Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

Jane Yolen is the author of over four hundred books, including the Caldecott Medal winner Owl Moon and the bestselling How Do Dinosaurs series. Her many awards include three Christopher Medals, two Nebula Awards, the Kerlan Award, the Jewish Book Award, and the Sydney Taylor Body of Work Award, among many others. Jane lives in Western Massachusetts and invites you to visit her online at janeyolen.com.

Dow Phumiruk is the award-winning illustrator of many books, including Counting on Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Saved Apollo 13, which won the Bank Street College of Education Cook Prize and was named an NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Book, among many other honors, and Her Name Was Mary Katherine: The Only Woman Whose Name Is on the Declaration of Independence, which was an NCSS-CBC Notable Social Studies selection and a CBC Children's Favorite Award winner. A retired pediatrician with a passion for art, Dow lives in Colorado with her family. She invites you to visit her at artbydow.com.