Reviewed by Deborah Menkart
Review Source: Rethinking Schools
Book Author: Calvin A. Ramsey
A historical fiction picture book for 7- to 11-year-olds about the challenges of traveling for African American families during the Jim Crow era. As Ruth travels with her family from Chicago to Alabama to visit her grandmother, she learns that the Green Book provides a vital record of the network of services and support for African Americans on the road. Ruth and the Green Book is touching, affirming, informative, and beautifully illustrated. For readers of all ages, it will generate interest in the Green Book, which was published annually for decades with listings throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Ruth and the Green Book by Calvin A. Ramsey
Illustrator: Floyd Cooper
Published by Carolrhoda Books on 2010
Genres: African American, Racism
Pages: 32
Reading Level: Grades 3-5
ISBN: 9780761352556
Review Source: Rethinking Schools
Also by this author: Belle, the Last Mule at Gee's Bend
Publisher's synopsis: Ruth and the Green Book is the story of one black family's trip from Chicago to Alabama by car in the late 1940s. Along the way they encounter prejudice, but they also discover The Green Book, a real guide to accommodations which was published for decades to aid African-American travelers as they faced prejudice on the roads across the country.
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