Ruby

Ruby's patchwork quilt is more than a source of security and warmthone night when Ruby rescues it from the clothes line, she discovers that it flies, just like a magic carpet. They rise together above trees and houses, and soar beyond the city lights and over the vast sea. An island appears, where some animals live in fear of a vicious serpent that has cast a spell on three lion cubs. Ruby the brave saves them and wins the gratitude and hospitality of the island dwellers. This fanciful flight may remind readers of John Himmelman's Snuggle Piggy and the Magic Blanket. Lester's illustrations impart real treats; her pages are filled with colorful patterns, floral prints, impressionistic strokes, deep thickets of flora and the vast, blue shades of sea and sky. Ages 4-8. (March)