Ruthie

PreS-Gr 2–Shapiro returns to an earlier work and adds a joyful companion volume that fills in the missing pieces, resulting in a more complex and emotionally insightful whole. Ooko is the story of a fox who briefly impersonates a woman’s missing pet to take a taste of indoor life. This new book explores the exact same period from the other side, spotlighting the woman and her dog and thoroughly deepening their relationship. Primped, pampered Ruthie self-identifies as a “prince” and views the owner as “the Queen” and their house as a “castle” while imagining a world filled with adoring royal subjects. As seen in the previous book, the woman’s momentary distraction proves the perfect opportunity for her pet to escape and explore, but the outside isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. The sly humor of the original story subtly shifts here to a tone of fond amusement. While the fox’s perspective shows the woman as nearsighted, absentminded, and altogether silly, in the eyes of her pet she is thoughtful, patient, and loving. Children might read and enjoy the two volumes in either order—a testament to ­Shapiro’s attention to detail and eye for balance. However, subtle examination of this newer work and its witty mixed-media illustrations reveals just how much she has grown as an artist. Of note is the final spread: the woman lies sleeping with her glasses off, Ruthie seated happily by her shoulder. She has soft bags under her eyes, her cheeks are flushed with warmth, and gentle curls of hair dangle about her face. The gentle, humanistic beauty of the image provides an unexpectedly poignant coda to this clever duology.