The One and Only Ruby

Is there any child who doesn’t love elephants? Magnificent African elephants with their enormous tusks, the gentler-looking Asian elephants with their smaller ears—I loved them all.

So, of course I wanted to read The One and Only Ruby, the story of the little elephant in the gorilla Ivan’s life. And just like when I read The One and Only Bob, I was blown away by how beautifully Katherine Applegate tells the story.

Ruby is getting ready for her Tuskday. Or rather, she ought to be getting ready for it, but she is actually running away from it. When she sees a friend from her life in Africa, though, she is taken back to her childhood. She begins to tell her friends Ivan and Bob her story for the first time. As she tells the story, she begins another phase of her journey of healing.

The One and Only Ruby is a beautiful story. Innocent and wise, gentle and powerful, it is a story that reminds us that things may not be perfect, but bittersweet happiness is possible. Ruby knows that she is lucky, and she has the best possible friends to live her life with. As she gathers her courage, she realises again the value of her herd, and she remembers the proverb she’s heard so often: an elephant alone is not an elephant. A lovely addition to The One and Only Ivan series!