Max and Ruby

YMA recommendation

Approved as non-violent media

Most suitable age range:

2-4

Availability

At time of review, screening on video.

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About the program

Year of production	2007
Classification advice
Rating	G
Consumer advice lines	None
Duration	10 minutes

Other information
Country of origin	Canada
Production Company	Nelvana Limited & Silver Lining

Synopsis

Seven year old Ruby looks after her three-year-old brother Max, helping him clean his room, teaching him to play hide and seek, enlisting his “help” for rummage sales and showing him how to run a beauty parlour.

Points to consider

Words of caution

None

Positive aspects

Ruby and Max is an extremely gentle show, depicting positive, helpful and loving sibling relationships. Ruby is extremely patient with Max; often displaying more tolerance than many could muster.
Max is still learning to articulate himself and is able to make himself understood with a few basic words, demonstrating an optimistic approach to the pitfalls of language development.
The show allows children to see different perspectives such as the fact that ‘one person’s trash is another person’s treasure’.

Questions to ask

How do you suppose Ruby is able to be so patient with Max after all that he does to inadvertently thwart her hard work?
Why do you think that Max put the ants, and the dirt and the other items in his pocket? Why would Ruby have wanted to throw them away?
Parents can help their children come to realize that there is more than one way to look at the same object and that it will have different meaning and value to different people.