Rating: 3 stars
This is truly one of the most bizarre books I've ever picked up…
(Reviewed for Washington Family Magazine)
Ruby Small is a normal little girl. If we zoom out from a close-up of Ruby, we quickly see a family and a world that is full of wacky eccentricities.
Her parents are definitely not-so-normal. Together, they own a little shop called “Topiary & Tiaras: Sprigs and Sparkles;” Mrs. Small designs fancy tiaras while Mr. Small is a topiary gardener. In the evenings Mrs. Small dons the glittery headdresses she creates by day and they “tango cheek to cheek” amidst his leafy creations.
Wanting to be just a little closer to normal, Ruby wants a pet. She voices this desire while seated on an airplane to Norway—her parents didn’t hear her grumpy “no way” when Mr. Small told his girls that he wanted to go to China to see a rhinoceros made out of rosemary. Her father heard “Norway,” not “no way.” Norway seemed fantastic and different to her parents, so…off they go.
Back to the pet: Her mom suggests a glow-in-the-dark jellyfish, her dad suggests a flea circus. These are pets with quirkiness that would clearly fit right in.
Of course, Ruby just wants a dog. While sight-seeing in Norway, the family visits a glacier that is too large, and as they watch, it undergoes a process called “calving”—small pieces break off and float down the river. One of those little pieces floats itself right over to Ruby (and the three Jennifers). The family’s new pet has found them.
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