Ruthie Lombard
A precocious little girl living in the suburbs of Baltimore, Maryland.
- Brainy Brunette: Probably the smartest of the kid characters, albeit a little weird. Mop of black hair.
- Cloudcuckoolander: Her eccentric way of thinking shows up here and there, largely related to her curiosity.
- Constantly Curious: Some adult characters (Library Lady, Homework Hotline Lady) basically exist to field her out-there questions.
- Friend to All Living Things: She has a pet dog (Willy), a crow friend (Crowy), and she shows concern for the samurai cat that spends most of its time under a car.
- She Is Not My Girlfriend: Frequently has to deny Buggy Crispino's claim that she's his girl.
- Tomboy: Not very much into sports, but otherwise has most of the traits.
Joe Lombard
Ruthie's older brother.
- Attention Deficit... Ooh, Shiny!: His attention span is pretty short.
- Cheerful Child: Generally pretty upbeat.
- Dismotivation: Actively resists his father's attempts to tutor him for school. He does like reading, but that's kind of a shameful secret.
Frank Lombard
Ruthie and Joe's father.
Ellen Lombard
Ruthie and Joe's mother.
Nick “Grandpa” Lombard
Frank's father and the family's next-door neighbor.
Rose “Grandma” Lombard
Nick's wife and Frank's mother.
- Cool Old Lady: Like Nick, she's good at dealing with the kids on their own level.
Other kids
Buggy Crispino
Very young ladies' man, at least in his own mind.
- The Faceless: Didn't appear at all for years, and when he does show up he always wears a mask.
- KidAnova: Very confident about being God's gift to girls.
- Precocious Crush: Mainly he's interested in Ruthie, but he's made passes at Ellen too.
James
Rough-hewn friend to both Lombard kids.
- The Ditz: Provides constant stream of misunderstandings and malapropisms.
- The Pigpen: Always dirty, never cares.
- Wrong Side of the Tracks: Comes from a poorer-than-average, borderline-troubled family.
Other adults
Library Lady
Leads story time at the local branch library.
- Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": Only known as "Library Lady".
- Stepford Smiler: Her relentless good cheer is somewhat strained when she has to deal with Ruthie, James, et al.
Animals
Crowy
Crow who started following Ruthie, initially creeping her out but eventually becoming her friend and sometime protector.
- Clever Crows: Can't speak, but seems a pretty smart bird.
- Eyeless Face: Looks eyeless because of black eyes on black feathers effect, which might be why Ruthie was initially scared of him
