Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz (Children's Literature)
Once there lived, in a house in China built by a rich man and filled with his many children and grandchildren, a little girl named Ruby. Her name came from her love of the color red, which she insisted on wearing every day. At this time girls were supposed to learn only cooking and housekeeping because they would marry early. But Ruby, an outstanding student, resents the favoritism she sees the boys receive. She longs to be able to go to a university, as they will. She tells her grandfather her feelings. To her delighted surprise, on a New Year's Day when she expects she will soon have to marry, she receives from him an envelope containing an acceptance from a university. She will be one of their first female students. The low key of the narrative is matched by Blackall's gouache paintings, which are almost devoid of strong emotion. Architecture, costumes, and the few artifacts are all properly Chinese. Jianwei Fong is credited with the Chinese calligraphy shown. There is a quiet, almost posed quality to the page designs; even the willow tree branches on a garden wall seem arranged by a florist. But Ruby herself is an appealing girl, far ahead of her time. She is shown in a frame next to a photograph of the author's grandmother, on whom the story is based. She is an inspiration, and "every day she still wears a little red." 2002, Chronicle Books for Children, $15.95. Ages 4 to 8.

CCBC (Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices, 2003)
Young Ruby loves the color red, and she loves to learn. Living in China at a time when few girls were taught to read or write, Ruby eagerly studies with the tutors her grandfather has hired for any child in his house who wants to learn. Ruby excels, and her grandfather takes great pleasure in her success. So he's saddened and puzzled when he reads a poem Ruby has written lamenting her fate as a girl in a house "where only boys are cared for." Ruby's dream is to attend university-an option open to her boy cousins, but not to girls in China. Shirin Yin Bridges based this charming and ultimately uplifting story on the life of her grandmother, who, like the fictional Ruby, was accepted as one of the first female students at a university in China. Sophie Blackwell's elegant gouache illustrations are a perfect accompaniment to Bridge's narrative. CCBC categories: Picture Books For Older Children; Historical People, Places, And Events. 2002, Chronicle, 32 pages, $15.95. Ages 6-9.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, August 15, 2002 (Vol. 70, No. 16))
In her debut effort, Bridges tells the story of her grandmother's unique place in Chinese history. Even in a wealthy household, being a young girl in China meant that education was something of a dream, but luckily Ruby's grandfather had a special place in his heart for his hard-working and talented granddaughter. Making his fortune in the California Gold Rush, one man returned to China to start a household full of wives and children and soon grandchildren. Even when the people in the household numbered over 100, it was easy to spot little Ruby in the group. Red was her favorite color and even when she was instructed to wear more traditionally colored clothing, Ruby insisted in twisting red ribbons into her dark hair. An enlightened man, the grandfather offered education to both boys and girls of the household and Ruby thrived. However, a poem that she wrote convinced her grandfather that perhaps he was not being completely equitable with his progeny. On what she believed to be her last New Year's Day as an unmarried woman, her grandfather presented her with a letter saying that she had received admission as one of the first women at a university. Softly colored, Asian-inspired gouache illustrations accompany this tale of one little girl's dream to become more than was traditionally possible. 2002, Chronicle, $15.95. Category: Picture book. Ages 4 to 8. © 2002 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Janice M. Del Negro (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, October 2002 (Vol. 56, No. 2))
Ruby (so named for her insistence on wearing something red every day) is one of the many grandchildren of a wealthy man who returned to China after making his fortune in the Gold Rush. She’s such a promising student that her teacher brings one of her poems to her grandfather: “Alas, bad luck to be born a girl; worse luck to be born into this house where only boys are cared for.” When her grandfather questions Ruby, he discovers the source of her lament: she wants not just the traditional male household perks (the yolk part of the Moon Festival cake, a red lantern during the Lantern Festival) but also a chance to go to the university. Time passes, her sisters get married and her brothers go away to school, and one New Year’s Day, her grandfather hands her a fat red envelope: “It was a letter from a university, saying that they would be proud to accept Ruby as one of their first female students.” This true story about Bridges’ own grandmother has a gentle momentum that moves it beyond the usual programmatic lucky-to-get-an-education story. Ruby’s determined character will capture the audience’s imagination, making her desire for advanced schooling a more immediate concern to youngsters than it might otherwise be. Blackall’s gouache illustrations have a quietly historical air, their palette subtly shaded with smoky inks and highlighted with touches of brilliant red; roundly drafted characters make their semi-stately way through stylized compositions framed with simple borders. Bridges’ conclusion (“So that’s how Ruby got her wish. It’s a true story. And how do I know this? Well, Ruby is my grandmother, and every day she still wears a little red”) has a happily-ever-after flair that will leave listeners contented. Review Code: R -- Recommended. (c) Copyright 2002, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2002, Chronicle, 30p, $15.95. Ages 5-8 yrs.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Spring 2003)
In a story set in a bygone era in China, a girl's wish to continue her education rather than marry is fulfilled when her perseverance with her at-home studies attracts her grandfather's notice. In a celebratory New Year's Day climax, Ruby's grandfather presents her with a letter of acceptance to a university. Inspired by the life of the author's grandmother, the quietly feminist story is complemented by illustrations as graceful as calligraphy strokes. Category: Picture Books. 2002, Chronicle, 32pp, $15.95. Ages 4 to 9. Rating: 3: Recommended, satisfactory in style, content, and/or illustration.