Ruby Red Shoes

Named for various shoes “the color of radishes” that she’s worn since she was a baby rabbit with very cold feet, Ruby Red Shoes stars in a series in Australia. In soothing, succinct prose and dainty pencil and watercolor drawings, Knapp’s introductory volume explains how the Mary Engelbreit–esque bunny is being raised by her wise grandmother, Babushka Galina Galushka, to be “an aware hare”—kind to herself and others, and a good steward of the planet. But rather than offer a narrative arc that might test these qualities—or any kind of narrative arc at all (aside from a fleeting moment when Ruby imagines she’s in a bathtub that takes off on an adventure)—the author opts for a lifestyle approach. Pages extol the “prettily painted” caravan that’s her home, her lovely things (“generous teacups for hot drinks, feathery quilts to snuggle up in”), her expertly tended garden, and a flock of “jazzy” chickens who adore learning French (“oeuf = egg” says the blackboard in the al fresco classroom). As a student of pleasant companionship, mindful existence, and living one’s best life, Ruby Red Shoes excels, paws down. Ages 3–7. [em](Jan.) [/em]