It's definitely a book worth sharing with children to spark meaningful discussions about individuality and friendship.

It's the first day of school, and Ruby is new. When her classmate Angela wears a red bow in her hair, Ruby comes back from lunch wearing a red bow, too. Ruby's teacher knows a better way to help Ruby fit in.

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Ruby was new in class and she sat behind Angela who had a pretty red bow in her hair. When Miss Hart asked the class what they had did that weekend, Angela shared that she was the flower girl at her sister's wedding and Ruby said she was the flower girl at her sister's wedding too. At lunch, Ruby hopped home and when she came back to school, she had a red bow in her hair just like Angela. Angela liked Ruby's bow and after that, everything Angela wore in the morning, Ruby would come back to school wearing. Eventually, Angela got sick of it. One day when Miss Hart asked the class to read out their poems they made, Angela went first and Ruby went after Angela practically reciting Angela's poem. Miss Hart had Ruby stay after class and told Ruby that she should just be herself. Ruby noticed Miss Hart's long pink nails and came back the next week with long pink nails. When Miss Hart told the class that she had gone to an opera that weekend and asked the class what they did with their weekend, Ruby said she went to the opera too. Miss Hart asked Ruby what else she had done that weekend and Ruby said she hopped. When the class started laughing, Ruby got up and showed them that it was true and started hopping all around the room. Miss Hart then turned on the radio and told all the student to hop like Ruby around the room. That day for lunch, Angela and Ruby hopped home for lunch.

I really liked this book. I absolutely loved Miss Hart in this book. She was a great teacher that every student needs. I especially loved the advice Miss Hart gave Ruby, "You can be anything you want to be, but be Ruby first. I like Ruby." I think it's really great that Miss Hart encouraged Ruby rather than scolding her. I also really loved when Miss Hart had the whole class copy Ruby because she knew this would make Ruby feel like she had finally fit in. Younger students have a very strong tendency to copy others because they want to fit in, so this story is definitely really relatable for younger students. ( )

This is a good book for kids to understand individuality. That they should be happy to be themselves instead of always copying someone else. This leaves a lot of good spots for interjection as well where you can ask the kids things like if they have been copied before. How do you think Angela feels always being copied and things like that.

Mirror book ( )