Ruby Finds a Worry

A girl named Ruby, clad in polka-dots and wearing puffy pigtails, loves to visit “wild, faraway places” and swing on a swing. But while in a peaceful, wild garden, she’s unexpectedly visited by “a Worry”— a floating ball of yellow scribbles with anxious eyes and a furrowed brow. In Percival’s subtle art, featuring ashy and pale yellow tones, it starts out small, but “then the Worry started to grow.” Ruby tries to ignore it, but the Worry is there as she works on art projects and brushes her teeth; at school, it stops “her from doing the things that she loved.” Eventually she realizes that others have Worries, too. Percival treats worry like a natural part of life, including the idea that sharing worries with others is a good way to ensure “they never hung around for long.” Ages 3–6.[em] (Sept.) [/em]