Review - Rubylicious

Rubylicious (Pinkalicious)
by Victoria Kann
Date: 2021
Publisher: HarperCollins
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: library

The #1 New York Times bestselling author-artist of the Pinkalicious series, Victoria Kann, is back with an all new-picture book about generosity and kindness, starring Pinkalicious and Peterrific.

Pinkalicious is searching for stones for her rock collection when suddenly—POOF!—out pops a surprise! Rocky is here to grant Pinkalicious and her brother Peter one wish, and one wish only, so they must choose wisely.

Should they wish for a pile of sweets? Or the ability to fly? Or maybe a castle with a fire-breathing dragon? But are any of those things good enough to be their very best, most special wish in the whole wide world? And what will happen to Rocky after they make their wish?

This gem of a book looks at how being selfless can be its own best reward. Rubylicious is a sparkling addition to the Pinkalicious library!

(synopsis from Goodreads)

I read another book in the Pinkalicious series a couple years ago, and then vowed to avoid them going forward. Well, I saw that the library had this new one, and I was curious. It can't possibly be any worse, I thought. And... it wasn't. But not by much.

Pinkalicious (I hope she grows up and sues her parents for giving her that moniker) finds a rock. It's dirty, so she polishes it, and out pops a genie. But she's not a genie. She grants wishes and she lives in a rock, but she's not a genie, okay? Anyway, the kids wish for stupid things like piles of candy and flying machines. Rather than just let the kids make their own mistakes, Rocky the non-genie gives them a sampling of each wish. Finally, the kids decide that their wishes are stupid (duh) and wish for something much better... at which point everyone is rewarded and gets everything they wanted. The end.

I can't stand picture books that are this facile and silly. There are no stakes and no consequences. As a result, I didn't really care about what happened to any of these characters. The illustrations are colourful, but almost to the point of pain. I guess kids might like them. But I wouldn't want to inflict these books on anyone I cared about.

If you're looking for a book series about a spunky, colourful little girl, try Fancy Nancy instead. Unlike the Pinkalicious books, those ones are more firmly grounded in reality with cute, relatable little life lessons and charming pictures.

Premise: 1/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 2/5
Illustrations: 1/5
Originality: 2/5

Enjoyment: 1/5

Overall: 1.33 out of 5