Michelle Worthington (text) and Zoe Bennett (illustrator), Ruby’s Repair Café, New Frontier Publishing, November 2023, 32 pp., RRP $26.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781915167651
Ruby put the POP! back in Pete’s toaster.
She fixed the mess Darcy had made of her dress.
When everyone told Brock to throw away his clock, Ruby got it to TOCK again.
Fixing things was what she did best.
Living in a world filled with cheap consumer products, Two-Dollar shops and discount stores, children might be surprised that things can be mended rather than replaced. Repair shops once thrived on local high streets repairing bikes and toys, broken dolls and toasters. Ruby’s Repair Café shines a light on the landfill cheap consumables create and the benefits of repairing broken things.
Worthington is a well-published children’s author. Her writing style hooks children by placing them firmly in the main character’s shoes and this picture book is no exception. Ruby knows how to help her friends fix their precious treasures. But when everyone starts shopping at a new department store, the repair café goes out of business. Until a storm damages the department store and her friend’s new things. Who will come to the rescue? Piece by piece, bit by bit, Ruby and the townsfolk work together to make it better than before.
The illustrations by Zoe Bennett are filled with detail encouraging children to stop and pause on each spread. Bennett has included a diverse cast of characters including children with cultural backgrounds and impairments. She adds to the text with relatable emotion on each character’s face and small surprises in the artwork detail.
This picture book is recommended for children 3+ learning about landfill, recycling and its impact on the environment. This book was announced as a 2024 CBCA Notable book in the Early Childhood Category.
Reviewed by Stef Gemmill
