ALA Booklist (Fri Dec 01 00:00:00 CST 2006)

Ruby Raccoon asks her friends in the woods to join her for a big breakfast, a game of checkers, and a roll down the hill. But everyone is too busy Ruby has a perfect day doing those things all by herself. Moore's exuberant line-and-watercolor pictures show the small raccoon as part of a cheerful community but also as she discovers the fun of playing alone.The celebration of solitary entertainment makes a nice change from the usual friendship story. Like the previous books about Ruby, which are part of the umbrella I Can Read! series, this one is delightful.

Horn Book

In the latest Ruby Raccoon book, Ruby wakes up expecting to have a perfect day, but one by one her friends say they're too busy to hang out with her. Ultimately, it is a perfect day--"for being all by myself!" This tribute to self-reliance has substance beneath its deceptively simple sentences. The art is sweet and delicate without being too precious.

Kirkus Reviews

Charming little Ruby Raccoon returns for her third adventure for newly independent readers, illustrated with delightful watercolors of Ruby's forest home and surrounding meadows. In this offering, Ruby tries hard to have an absolutely perfect day, inviting her friends to join her for breakfast and in playing outside. When each of Ruby's friends in turn is too busy to share in her activities, she discovers that she can have a good time all by herself, and she spends the rest of her perfect day cultivating her own garden. Though Ruby's previous adventures involving her group of assorted animal friends have a little more pizzazz than this quietly thoughtful tale, Ruby is still a charmer with a delightful world of her own, and the theme of satisfied solitude is an unusual one for this genre. (Easy reader. 5-7)

School Library Journal

K-Gr 1-A young raccoon wakes up in the morning and says, "This is a perfect day." First Ruby thinks about a perfect breakfast with her friend Fiona Fox, but Fiona is too busy. Ruby makes enough breakfast for two, eats it, and then heads outside. She decides that the day is perfect for playing checkers, but Dan Duck is too busy. Ruby plays by herself, using leaves to make a checkerboard. Bunny Rabbit is too busy to join her, but that doesn't stop Ruby from enjoying rolling down the hill. The last page shows a happy raccoon back home, lying on the grass and thinking, "A perfect day for being all by myself!" This level-one book is perfect for beginning readers. A simple plot and good sentence structure provide repetition without being simplistic, and Ruby is indeed appealing. Children will be excited about real sentences and, at the same time, will feel proud of their reading skills. A nice plus is the idea that you can have a wonderful time all by yourself.-Susan Lissim, Dwight School, New York City Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.