An engaging historical story (a true account it seems, based on the childhood of Shirin Yim Bridges' own grandmother), Ruby's Wish tells the story of Ruby, a young Chinese girl growing up in a large household, where the enlightened patriarch (Ruby's grandfather) allows both girls and boys to be educated. Ruby however, desires more; she also wants the opportunity to attend university like her brothers and male cousins. Will her grandfather grant Ruby her wish, will Ruby be allowed to attend university?Ruby's Wish is both inspiring and thought-provoking; the story emphasises both the blessings Ruby enjoys (her education, the fact that her grandfather allows both his grandsons and his granddaughters to be educated) as well as the challenges she faces. Her grandfather is not only admirable and enlightened, he also listens to Ruby, listens to her words and takes her ideas, wishes and desires seriously. And Ruby, although at first a bit shy at being summoned to her grandfather's office and somewhat chagrined that her poem about boys being considered more worthy than girls might have upset him, has the courage to explain to her grandfather why she thinks boys are better looked after and that her greatest wish is not to get married, but to be able to attend university. When at the Chinese New Years' celebration, Ruby receives a letter of acceptance to attend university from her grandfather, I was so happy for Ruby that I had tears of joy in my eyes.It must be remembered though that Ruby is only able to attend university because her grandfather, the family patriarch, is in agreement with this. If he had said "no" and/or if it had been up to Ruby's mother and the other women of the family, Ruby would not have been allowed to further her education. I find it interesting that in many historical stories (both novels and picture books) about girls' education, it is often the mothers who are the most vehemently opposed to this, while the fathers (although they do generally have the last word) are often not nearly as negative and suspicious about it. Now, I know that this is probably a rather facile and non-nuanced assertion (as well as somewhat of a generalisation), but it is something that I have repeatedly noticed with/in both classical girls school and college novels and historical children's literature about girls' education, and is thus an attitude, a scenario that I believe begs and requires further analysis and discussion.Regarding Sophie Blackall's illustrations, although on their own, they would likely not be entirely to my taste, I think that they are a brilliant and wonderful complement to Shirin Yim Bridges narrative, providing an authentic appearing pictorial account of what late 19th, early 20th century China must have been like and appeared. The generally muted colours, contrasted with Ruby's penchant for bright red also makes her stand out, makes her into a truly special character, not only within the text, the narrative itself, but within the scope of the illustrations as well.
Ruby is her nickname based on the fact that she loves the color red and insists on wearing red in some form, regardless of season or occasion. Her naming also tells us a good deal about how determined and focused a young lady the story’s protagonist is, and how accommodating (and unusual) a family she comes from—two necessary ingredients to Ruby’s success story. Ruby is gifted with opportunities, all she needs to do is to have the courage to pursue her desires—which is no small thing.Ruby’s Wish is educational culturally, inspiring, and just so lovely to look upon.I checked Ruby’s Wish from the Library based on fact that Sophie Blackall illustrated it. Her work is as pleasurable and highly accessible as ever, utilizing soft but bold colors and textures. Her compositions are a nice companion to the text, a series of portraits of Ruby as she learns and grows up to the final piece, a red folding picture frame with an illustrated young Ruby in sepia on the left and a true photograph of the author’s grandmother on the right. “So that’s how Ruby got her wish. It’s a true story. And how do I know this? Well, Ruby is my grandmother, and every day she still wears a little red.”The young reader/listener will be charmed to find that Ruby’s Wish is someone’s true story. Seems a brilliant opportunity to dust off the family stories; the sweet and serious and inspiring. If you’ve a mind, have some colored pencils on hand. We could do with more shared stories of Shirin Yim Bridge’s ilk, as well as illustrators of Sophie Blackall’s.L @ omphaloskepsishttp://contemplatrix.wordpress.com/20...
What do You think about Ruby's Wish (2002)?
Ruby is different then other girls in China. She isn't focused on getting married when she grows up, she wants to attend a university like the boys in her family. Ruby's grandfather hires a teacher to teach all the children in the family. Ruby writes a poem one day saying that it is very hard to be a girl in the family because of the expectations. The grandfather and teacher are amazed and proud of Ruby's work, and she continues to succeed in school. After everyone has gone to sleep, Ruby continues to work on her "womanly" chores-sewing, cooking and cleaning. Ruby still maintains her academic success and even is able to go off to a university-a rare occurance during this time period. Ruby strives for more and her family supports and rewards her hard work and courage. This story is based upon the author's grandmother. Goosebumps covered my arms as I read the last page of the story. Inside Ruby's red envelope on Chinese New Year was an acceptance letter from a university saying that Ruby would be one of the first woman ever to attend the school. The reason the author knows this to be true is because Ruby is her grandmother. I really enjoy the message that is sent to readers in this story. I like that it shows that if you work hard you will be rewarded for what you do. It is an important quality for all people to learn. Ruby never gave up and achieved her dream after all!
—(NS)Jennifer Reiner
An engaging historical story (a true account, based on the childhood of Shirin Yim Bridges' own grandmother), Ruby's Wish tells the story of Ruby, a young Chinese girl growing up in a large household, where the enlightened patriarch (Ruby's grandfather) allows both girls and boys to be educated. Ruby however, desires more; she also wants the opportunity to attend university like her brothers and male cousins. Will her grandfather grant Ruby her wish, will Ruby be allowed to attend university?I think that they are a brilliant and wonderful complement to Shirin Yim Bridges narrative, providing an authentic seeming pictorial account of what late 19th, early 20th century China must have been like and looked like. The generally muted colors, contrasted with Ruby's penchant for bright red also makes her stand out, makes her into a truly special character, not only within the text, the narrative itself, but within the scope of the illustrations as well
—Sari Zweig
Ruby’s WishThis story happened in a big traditional Chinese family. Ruby is a little girl and she wish is going to university. However, this is very hard in old China. There is a old saying in China; Ignorance is woman’s virtue. In old China, woman has this dream that going to university is very difficult to imagine. Especially, woman married for someone is the most important thing of their life. Ruby’s wish is very easy for the contemporary society. However, Ruby’s wish breaks the traditional rules. Ruby is very brave girl. I also like Ruby’s grandfather that he respects Ruby’s willing and he lets Ruby to go university as her brothers. I really like the style of illustration. The illustrations in this book were rendered in gouache on Arches hot-pressed paper. We can see the architecture and clothes are all very old Chinese. This is very pure and fresh. We also find Chinese handwriting and abacus and lantern. They all contribute the style. Ruby write a poem, “ Alas, bad luck to be born a girl; worse luck to be born into his house where only boys are cared for.” This poem also reflect the voice of those woman in this time. Although Ruby is girl, she has aspiration like a boy. I really appreciate that.In the finally page, I know that Ruby is author’s grandmother. There is a real photo of Ruby. Ruby’s Wish is an engaging portrait of a determined young girl and a family who rewards her independent spirit. This is a good book.
—Xiaoting
