Ruby's Tools for Making Friends

by Apryl Stott

A little fox uses tools to overcome anxiety and make friends at her new school in this heartfelt picture book from the creator of the New York Times bestseller Share Some Kindness, Bring Some Light !

It’s Ruby the fox’s first day at a new school. She’s a little nervous, but luckily, she has her tools to a tape measure to count her breaths if she feels overwhelmed, pliers to remind her to be flexible, and safety goggles to see things in a new way.

When Ruby finds out her class is having an egg drop competition, she wants to share her ideas, but she feels shy surrounded by all her talkative classmates. Can she use her tools to find the confidence to speak up, and maybe even make some new friends?

Genres: Picture Books, School, Friendship, Animals, Mental Health, Childrens, Back To School

40 pages, Hardcover

Published June 4, 2024

Reviews

[Jennie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book to read to children on the first day of school. The illustrations are beautiful, and there are lots of good ideas about how to tackle your nerves on the first day of school.

[Bookishrealm · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute read for any kiddo that is shy and/or has social anxiety and is nervous about starting school and making friends.

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautifully illustrated read aloud that will be perfect for the first day of school. Ruby is nervous about her new school and hopes to make friends. She brings with her tools to ensure that she feels calm. Great read and loved the message.

[Nathan Meier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good! Those are good tools to have. I also like how there are a mix of humans and animals of all kinds.

[Tonja Drecker · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cute fox, handy tools, and first-day-of-school nerves come together in an encouraging read packed full of adorable characters.
Ruby is off to her first day at a brand new school, and she’s nervous. Finding friends isn’t easy, especially since she tends to get overly nervous about things. With her tools on her school bag (a tape measurer, pliers, and safety goggles), she walks into the new classroom and immediately feels overwhelmed. So many kids! Even with her tools, she’s not sure she’ll be able to handle things.
I’m going to start with the illustrations because they add a special touch to this read. The characters are well concepted and come across with personality, friendliness, and are inviting. The mix of animals and humans adds an interesting and creative twist and slides in with natural flow. Each scene carries lovely details and will come across familiar to many readers. It’s enjoyable to simply flip through each page and enjoy the story that way.
The text fits well to the middle of the intended age group with more text than some picture books but remaining at the intended level. It works very nicely for a read-aloud or story time and carries a complete tale with a rounded ending. The concept of the egg drop experiment heads more toward the older end of the intended reading group and might need some clarification for younger listeners. It’s an easy-to-follow story with sympathetic characters to enjoy.
The tale is message driven and does steer the plot, making this a book especially useful when exploring themes such as forming new friendships or dealing with anxiety. Each of Ruby’s tools carries an emotional purpose, and this is clearly explained. One of the other characters, also uses an object to help deal with tenser situations. There are a couple other message added as well, but these hit on a smaller scale.
It’s a cute read with lovely illustration, which brings across several messages in an enjoyable and adorable way.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ruby is starting at a new school, and she is nervous. She has physical tools that she brings with her to help her make friends...a tape measure to remember to count her breaths, a pair of pliers to remind her to bend a little and be flexible, and safety goggles to remind her to see things in a new way. Her class has a group project and the winning group will compete in a school competition. At first, Ruby is too nervous to share her ideas for the project, but her tools help her.

This will be a great beginning of the year book and great to discuss ways to make friends, solve problems, and cope with challenges.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fox has tools, literally and figuratively, that she uses to help her clam down. They help her breathe, see things differently and be flexible. She uses them at a new school during an egg drop project where she has to work with kids she doesn't know. The books talks about lots of different emotions like being worried your friends won't like you, to stress and sadness. She ultimately learns that the tools don't have to physically be with her for her to be able to use the skills they give her. Good SEL book for classroom.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an electronic ARC from Simon and Schuster through Edelweiss+.
Ruby is nervous to start school but she has her tools ready. She uses them to help her stay focused and calm but she still struggles at first. A class project gives her the chance to create some designs and share them with her group. I appreciate how they listen to each other and figure out how to improve the design. Even more, Stott does not take the easy way and have them win the competition. Ruby's group loses but still keeps their friendship and heads out to play. A needed message on several levels.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

This cute and quirky book is about a little fox going to a new school. She packs her tools (a measuring tape to count her breaths, pliers to remind her to be flexible, and safety glasses to help her see things in a different way) for her first day. There is an egg-drop contest, and Ruby really wants to put her ideas into the mix, but her group isn't listening. Watching Ruby use her tools to help her adjust to her new school reminded me so much of my students. I hope to use this book as a read-aloud next year so that my kids can see someone using the strategies I'm teaching them.

[Nicole Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

        Ruby wants to win the egg contest but has to work with a group. Can they find a way to work together and win a pizza party? I loved the illustrations with the mix of humans and wild animals as well as Ruby's passion for engineering. It was great to see her find new ways to use her tools to help her calm down and think. Overall a great book for kids new to working in groups, interested in STEM, and those with social anxiety.

[Kelly {SpaceOnTheBookcase] · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Ruby's Tools for Making Friends, Ruby is starting at a new school and nervous about making new friends. With her tools by her side, she knows she can get through the day. When the class is assigned a project, Ruby must also learn to communicate with her group. A story about perseverance, coping with anxiety and making new friends, this children's story is a great addition to any young readers bookcase.

Thank you Simon Kids for the gifted copy.

[Gabrielle Stoller · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a tad bit too long but as someone who struggles with anxiety, I so appreciated a book that encourages kids having "tools in their toolbelt" (tips and tricks to help them). I have some myself.

This is a great book for when kids are starting school or around the first few weeks of school. Because everyone has some fears (whether it be new school or new friends or anything)

Also, I dare you to NOT think about Abbott Elementary and the egg drop episode ;)

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favorite parts of this book was the gorgeous illustrations. There are so many details to discover, and the color palette gives off wonderful fall vibes. I also love the message about having "tools" to use when you feel anxious, alone, or scared. However, I didn't completely jive with the "actual" tools she carried in her backpack (a measuring tape, pliers, and safety goggles!). A cute story that helps children feel confident going back to school or attending a new school.

[Mr. Lowton · Rating 2 out of 5]

2024 Picture Book. American Author/Illustrator.

Ruby uses tools (both literal and figurative) to fit in at school.

What I liked: A good message about the tools in our psychological tool box.

What I didn't like: It never fails. Whenever I think a book has made odd illustrative choices, it's because the illustrator is the author. A school with animals and children was just too weird for me to get behind.

Overall, no for me.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was actually very sweet, especially for the anxious kiddos who are nervous about going back to school or starting a new school. I loved how Ruby had tools to help her manage her big emotions, and how she learned to make those physical reminders into invisible reminders so she never had to do without. The illustrations are very sweet, although the combination of animal and human children might be a little weird for some kids.

[Justine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grabbed this one thinking it would be good for my daughter as she is quite a shy kid and seems a bit anxious in new situations such as school and when she doesn’t know people. It was a cute read and it did have some tools to help the readers face those situations. I’m hoping B did take some of those tools and can apply them to real life. We enjoyed the overall story and the illustrations. We would recommend this to other readers.

[Melanie Hetrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young fox begins a new school where some students are human and some are animals. She's nervous about making new friends but develops many new skills in the first two days of school.

A rather sickly-sweet, not realistic book about managing emotions with a literal "tool" belt, tape measure and pliers included.

[rori jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little different from my usual picks, but this one really caught my eye while in the library. I love foxes, so the cover alone nearly made me melt. I went home that evening and immediately bought a copy for myself. Books like these are everything I needed years ago as a shy kid. And even as a shy adult, I can still appreciate and adore this. So cute!!!

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

What might seem like ordinary construction tools are Ruby's tools for keeping calm and seeing things in new ways. Much like projects, friendships can take time to build! A sweet and gentle story accompanied by adorable and detailed illustrations.

[Lauri Meyers · Rating 5 out of 5]

A first day at a new school book with a main character who experiences anxiety but has developed tools to stay clam and stay flexible using the actual tools she carries with her. I enjoyed that we have a character who actually uses techniques for overcoming and managing worry.

[Skylar · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an adorable book for any child who is shy or struggling with social anxiety. I loved the beautiful illustrations and important messages that it's okay for things to be different, and you're never alone in your feelings❤️

[Susan Drew · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's so much to love in this book. First, animal and human characters at school! So cute! I love how Ruby uses her tools to help her when she's feeling anxious. I love the science element in the egg drop project the students are working on. And of course, she makes friends. Great ending.

[Autumn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful story about a smart little fox that deals with not only being scared to start a new school, but also developing resilience when things don't work out as planned. Highly recommend.

[Beth Reynolds Winters · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good story and great illustrations

[Andi Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Apryl Stott has done it again! Cute, clever, and quirky, with delightful images on every page.

[Robin Leach · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book.

[Becca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Darling illustrations for this message-driven book about making friends at school.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this beautiful picture book about coping and fitting in with new classmates.

[Y.Poston]

a delightful friend story about how to make
friends during the first days of school &
how to deal with everyday disappointments

[Wendy Garland · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved how the physical tools represented "tools" Ruby used to navigate situations.