Ruby Learns the Ropes

by Emma Bland Smith, Monika Kucharska (Illustrator)

Luke can't wait to train his family's new herding puppy, Ruby. But learning new tricks can be hard. If Ruby doesn't master all her commands, she'll never be a sheepdog. Will Ruby figure out her training in time to save a tiny lamb? Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards. Calico Kid is an imprint of Magic Wagon, a division of ABDO.

32 pages, Library Binding

Published January 1, 2026

About the author

Emma Bland Smith is the award-winning author of twelve book for children. Her debut picture book was Journey: Based on the True Story of OR7, the Most Famous Wolf in the West. Many of Emma’s books include animals—wolves, dogs, pigs, even alligators! Emma is a librarian and author and lives in San Francisco with her husband, two kids, dog, and cat—but no wolf, pig, or alligator. Visit her online at emmabsmith.com and on Twitter at @emmablandsmith.