Ruby's Reunion Day Dinner

April 1, 2021

PreS-Gr 1-Once a year, Ruby and her sprawling Black family gather for their family reunion. Each auntie, uncle, and cousin prepares a special dinner dish-a signature item cooked and shared annually. Ruby is still too young; her chin barely makes it over the counter's edge. She's too little to use the mixer, to stir greens on the hot stove, to cut onions, or to mess with the grill. Ruby finds her contribution in the shade of the backyard, where her uncle G helps her with the hard part as she rolls lemons to loosen their juice before slicing. Delineating every detail, the story reveals Ruby's lemonade as the perfect accompaniment to all the other dishes offered at the crowded table. Digitally rendered art presents richly colored and painted scenes with expressive faces and contrasts of light emphasizing depth to landscapes. The traditions of this loving family are timeless and the scenes full of affection. VERDICT A suggested general purchase for all libraries, this is a holiday everyone can enjoy.-Mary Elam, Learning Media Services, Plano I.S.D., TX

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2021
Grades K-3 Ruby is determined to assist with the family reunion dinner at Grammy and Pop-Pop's, where everyone is busy fixing their signature soul food dish, like macaroni and cheese and sweet candied yams. Ruby, her hair adorably tied into two round bunches with pink ribbon to match her pink dress, tries to help different family members, but each time she is gently turned away after being told she's too small to handle mixers and knives. Disappointed, she leaves the kitchen to sit outside, where a lemon tree gives her the perfect idea for her dinner contribution: lemonade! Children will adore this story's inviting language and colorful digital illustrations. Love and joyfulness exude from Ruby's family, who are shown with a variety of body types and brown skin tones, and it's with a real sense of pride that Ruby agrees to their requests to make her lemonade again next year. This pairs perfectly with other texts about family gatherings and cooking, such as Dorina K. Lazo Gilmore's Cora Cooks Pancit (2009) and Kevin Noble Maillard's Fry Bread (2019).

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May 1, 2021
Will this be the year Ruby gets to make and share a dish at the annual family reunion? Once a year, Ruby's African American family gets together for a reunion and soul food dinner. Every year her relatives prepare their signature dishes, and this year Ruby wants to make one, too. Affectionately nicknamed "Lil' Bit" by relatives, Ruby doesn't know what to make, and when Auntie Billie questions if she's big enough to help in the kitchen, Ruby begins to have doubts, too. Nevertheless, fueled by her mother's confidence that she will find her special something to make, Ruby approaches her family members in hopes that they will allow her to help them, but there's no use, Ruby is just too small. Readers will feel Ruby's discouragement even as their mouths begin to water at the meal her family is assembling. Finally, she ventures outside, where she notices a stand of lemon trees and she gets the bright idea to make a refreshing pitcher of lemonade--which is just what they all needed. This is a charming book that works well as a read-aloud, especially as a lap read with children who are gaining independence and want to do more than they are able. Ruby's well-drawn expressions support the use of this book as a picture walk with very young readers. (This book was reviewed digitally.) When life gave her lemons, Ruby made lemonade. A sweet read--and lesson--for young readers. (Picture book. 4-6)

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Starred review from May 31, 2021
This big-hearted picture book debut features Ruby, a Black girl affectionately nicknamed Lil’ Bit, whose family gathers for a yearly reunion potluck. Everyone makes a signature dish for the soul food feast, and each relative in turn tells Ruby that she is too small to help. On the verge of giving up on the hot day, she spies a grove of backyard lemon trees—and gets inspired. Through Ruby’s narration, Dalton offers rich, mouth-watering descriptions of the food: “Peering over the counter, I see: Momma’s gooey peach cobbler bubbling up the sides of her favorite baking dish, the golden, crispy crown of Daddy’s perfect mac ’n’ cheese.” Warm digital art by Southerland makes excellent use of light and shadow, and offers a lovely portrait of an expressive family with varying hairstyles and body types. This hopeful, mouthwatering narrative showcases tender family rapport. Ages 4–8.