Horn Book (Fri Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2022)

How do eggs get from "farm to table"? From the very outset of this cleverly presented and organized book, readers are invited to find out: "Let's go with Ruby and Ned along the stone path, past the apple trees, the cows, and the sunflowers to the henhouse." After collecting eggs "from every nook and cranny" of the henhouse, Ned and Ruby hop into their bright red truck and begin the trek to sell and deliver the eggs. While Ned runs their stall at the farmer's market, readers ride along with Ruby to her many delivery locations -- bakery, school, grocery store, and back home -- where she and Ned receive a sweet surprise. Composed of straightforward dialogue and simple sentences, the text both complements the busyness of the illustrations and welcomes beginning readers to navigate the narrative on their own. The book design is inventive: Some double-page spreads include a simple, nearly full-bleed map and a panel of directions with labeled illustrations. Other spreads feature a decoratively framed verso, whose details reflect the next location along Ruby's many stops, while a small vignette on the recto, shaped subtly as an egg, highlights each friendly handoff. Warm and cheerful colors brighten the folk art-like illustrations. A delightful entry point for young readers to learn valuable mapping skills and enjoy searching the pages for all the nooks and crannies where eggs can be found.

Kirkus Reviews

Running a farm is hard work, but hard work can be fun!Ruby and Ned live on a farm and run a business selling eggs. Each of them is good at different things. Ned is skilled with numbers, so he counts the eggs and handles the money at the farmers market. Ruby is better at other tasks, like driving the delivery truck and making deliveries. Readers follow Ruby on her rounds-we see the routes she takes to her various destinations and what she does once she gets there. Ned's experience at the farmers market is not shown. The book ends with the pair getting home, where they check on their chickens and enjoy the treats the baker made for them with their eggs. This book is fun and interactive, with mazelike road maps offering opportunities for seek-and-finds and a shortest path problem for children to solve. The gouache illustrations are simple and colorful. A cute polka-dot hen who makes quips in speech bubbles adds humor. Map keys with symbols make the seek-and-find activities easier and allow young readers to perhaps see details they may not have noticed otherwise. Ruby is White with blond hair, and Ned has light brown skin and brown hair. Background characters have a variety of skin tones and hair colors. (This book was reviewed digitally.)A winsome interactive picture book with STEM appeal. (Interactive picture book. 3-6)

School Library Journal (Fri Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2022)

Toddler-PreS This book about the concept of farm-to-table pulls double duty as an introduction to cartography. Readers map their way through the sprawling spreads with Ruby and Ned, first following them on the stone path from the farmhouse to the henhouse. A side panel shows landmarks to look for "past the apple trees, the cows, and the sunflowers." After counting and packing the eggs, the farmers navigate through town to the open air market. Ned stays behind at their stand, while Ruby makes the deliveries. She travels to the school, the bakery, the grocer, and the café. Children can joyfully trace their fingers over the gamelike spreads of streets and paths to each locale. The final map, when Ruby returns to the farmers' market, is intentionally devoid of directions or landmarks, challenging readers to route their own way back. The story line directs the focus toward the complementary concepts. The farm-to-table theme originates from the henhouse to locations where the eggs are sold and made into food; Ruby uses the eggs to teach a cooking class at the school; this book points to all of it. Map clarity is aided by Wellington's cheerful illustrations. Lucid lines and separation of spaces aids the target audience of toddlers and preschoolers. The cast of characters includes nods to representation. VERDICT Recommended for the seamless introduction of many different concepts in an accessible format. Richelle Rose