Find your voice and say it loud!
Ruby Loud Mouse and the Ruru is a story about embracing who you are, and about celebrating all the differences among us. Written by Alice Pearce, this book is a distinctly Kiwi tale with a big heart. Ruby Loud Mouse hopes to leave you inspired to use your voice. We asked Alice some questions:
What inspired you to write this?
I live out in the Waita¯kere Ranges and during the Covid lockdown it was VERY quiet around our house. No people, no cars, nothing. I was wandering around the garden one day and thought to myself “gosh, it’s as quiet as a mouse out here”. And then I started thinking — hold on — what if you were a mouse who wasn’t quiet?? What if there was a really loud mouse out there completely mislabeled by that idiom? How tricky, to have everyone expect one thing of you, when you were really something else entirely! And from there Ruby was born.
What do you think the message is in this book for young readers?
Ruby Loud Mouse is all about appreciating each other’s differences, and accepting and celebrating who we are as individuals — some people might be loud, some people might be quiet, but everyone has their own strengths and those are always worth being celebrated.
We love the illustrations in this book, how did you find the illustrator?
I just love them too! The wonderful team at Bateman had asked me to put together a list of illustrators I liked and who I thought might suit the style of Ruby Loud Mouse. Bateman contacted the agent that represented the first illustrator on my list to see if she might be free and able to draw up some samples for us. She was busy, but the agent said “you should check out this other illustrator who’s just signed on with us” and sent us some proofs from Dine. And it was crazy, because as soon as I saw her work — I just knew, it was exactly what I’d been looking for the whole time!
Do you think children are encouraged today to speak up for themselves if so why/why not?
I think we’re much more encouraging of kids today than we have been historically, but I think there’s always further to go! Kids have such wonderful energy and special ideas that often they are just bursting out to share, but sometimes there’s not always the space for that practically in the adult world. I hope Ruby particularly encourages young girls to express themselves — I’ve often noticed — both when teaching our tamariki, and back when I was at school — we give boys a bit more of a rope to run around with, and put a bit more expectation for “good behavior” on our girls — I’d love to see more encouragement for girls to feel they can be as big and expressive as they like, something Ruby would definitely approve of.
Ruby Loud Mouse and the Ruru by Alice Pearce, illustrated by D¨ıne the Fox, Bateman Books, $21.99
Was there a specific reason you chose the Ruru as the other main character and, if so, what was it?
We wanted the other character to have a distinctly New Zealand feel, and a ruru, as a mouse hunter, felt like a great fit. I also loved the idea of an animal who is so notorious for its own song, being blown away by a little mouse who no one expects to have any voice at all!
Have any of your students read this book and if so what was the feedback?
I’ve been getting lovely feedback from lots of students and tamariki in my life. Lots LOVING the illustrations — particularly all the little details, and lots having a good giggle or relating to Ruby. They seem to really love the ending, which has been bringing me a lot of joy.
Do you have another book in the pipeline?
I have actually sort’ve been writing picture books since I was about 14, when I started writing bespoke stories for my baby cousins’ Christmas presents, and I have been tinkering away on several full scale ideas ever since. I have a couple of manuscripts in my back pocket including one I worked on at the Institute of Modern Letters at Victoria University when I was studying there, so now that Ruby is out in the world, I’ll definitely be bringing some of those back to the table — watch this space!