Reviews

Ruth and the Green Book by Gwen Strauss, Floyd Cooper, Calvin Alexander Ramsey

crystal_reading's review against another edition

4.0

This is a great way to show students that it wasn't just a matter of where to sit on the bus or which water fountain to drink out of in the past. There were many, many little ways of keeping people separate and put down. I appreciated reading about the Green Book as I hadn't heard of this very helpful travel guide.

heathersbike's review against another edition

Good, simple explanation of Jim Crow laws and the Green Book. A nice starter for kids learning about historical racism.

krisn's review against another edition

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

This is a well done picture book about an important topic. I love how the illustrations help place the story in it’s time in history. The text is straightforward and easy to follow. Although I didn’t feel much connection to the characters, I still might have given the book 4 stars except for the scene toward the end with the younger boy. I just felt like that was contrived and it seems unlikely Ruth would have given away her source of comfort. 

amysutton's review against another edition

5.0

This is a great book that talks about how the green books that black travelers could use to find gas stations, hotels, restaurants, and other stores in the Jim Crow south. Great discussion starter.

mariahroze's review against another edition

4.0

This was a great picture book that was about the Green book that was used for African-American travelers. It had all the locations throughout the United States that were safe and excepted African-Americans. This included restaurants, gas stations, hotels, barber shops, etc.

justcatherine's review against another edition

4.0

This was a helpful way to show how traveling looked different for some people based on race. I'd never thought about this element in our history. When we study this period, I plan to have a reproduction copy of a Green Book that we can look through alongside reading this book.

the_fabric_of_words's review against another edition

5.0

For an excellent lesson plan (aimed at 8th grade students, not elementary students) that uses this book and Opening the Road as an anticipatory set, please visit my blog.

Visit my blog for more great middle grade book recommendations, free teaching materials and fiction writing tips: https://amb.mystrikingly.com/

libraryrobin's review against another edition

4.0

On a trip south from Chicago, a family learns of the "Green Book", a guide for African American travelers. Interesting history of an ingenious resource (too bad it was so necessary).

tcbueti's review against another edition

5.0

Used for World Read-Aloud Day at RBS-4th grade

Set in 1952 “Historical Fiction”
Worked really well. How do families navigate today? Using a map. What if you couldn’t go/stay/eat/pee where you wanted? Jim Crow laws and The Green Book.

“Negro” = black

choirqueer's review against another edition

3.0

This book addresses an important piece of history that often gets overlooked -- the lives of Black Americans during the Jim Crow period. The blurry illustrations made it difficult to connect with them; I certainly respect an artistic decision to use hazy images, but in this book it seemed to obscure or distract from the story, rather than illuminate it. I'm not sure if it was a font issue or a layout issue or the writing of the text itself, or some combination of those things, but I felt like it was similarly difficult to engage as deeply with the story as I wanted to. I guess it just really felt like this book deserve more attention than it got on the editing and publishing level, and I wish that it had gotten it!