Ruby in the Ruins

Praise

The clothes and environmental details in the illustrations perfectly complement the text, as do the loose character drawings in the artist’s signature style, with the judicious addition of bright colors that pop against the postwar gray and sepia. Endpapers with apparently authentic wartime ads are a nice finishing touch. A sweet celebration of familial love.
—Kirkus Reviews

With a classic, retro-look to it, this historical picture book is geared toward younger elementary schoolers…The ink, gouache, and watercolor illustrations have a diffused Rockwell-esque charm.
—School Library Journal

Hughes, whose chapter book Whistling in the Dark (2017) told of an older girl’s experiences in England during WWII, now offers a satisfying, realistic story for younger children. On the large double-page spreads, gouache paintings portray the characters with compassion…Unusual mainly in its setting, this picture book views postwar London from a child’s point of view.
—Booklist