Lessons in children's books

I just finished Lenore Look's Ruby Lu, Empress of Everything, and Ruby taught me a thing a two. First, I need to refine my categories. Ruby Lu fits more comfortably in the category of "chapter book," which means that Ling and Ting properly belongs to "early reader."  Second, and more importantly, I learned a little bit about, well, everything. Over the course of about a year, third-grader Ruby must adjust to the immigration and integration of her cousin Flying Duck and their family into her household, while also overcoming her fears of school notes and swimming and apologizing (what's the fear of apologizing? losing face, bruising the ego, call it what you will, but there's fear there). Oh, and did I mention that Flying Duck is deaf, so we readers also get to learn about Chinese sign language and American sign language. There are lessons in here, dare I say, for everyone, and Look's light touch makes the learning a delight. Don't forget to read "Ruby's and Flying Duck's Amazing and Awesome Glossaries," too, loaded with PSAT words like aquaphobia, veterinary phenomena like parvovirus, Cantonese veggies like gailan, and the Rapa Nui word for hello to one or more people, Iorana koe and Iorana korua, respectively.

Lenore Look (author) and Anne Wilsdorf (illustrator)
Ruby Lu, Empress of Everything
Atheneum Books, 2006