I adored this picture book about an African American family living in the North during the Great Migration, and the dangers of travel for African Americans during segregation (as well as the community that formed to provide safety for them).

Ruth and her parents are driving south in the 1950s to visit her grandma in Alabama. She learns that black people are not welcome in many places and her family struggles to find somewhere to stay, get gas, and eat. At a gas station, they are introduced to a the green book which shows friendly places black people can go throughout the south. After that, they are able to stay in safe, welcoming places and meet others on the way to her grandma's.

This book is excellent at explaining what Jim Crow and segregation was like in the 1950s from the view of a child. It goes through what Ruth is thinking and feeling during their journey. The book is both sad and heartwarming; it makes you glad there were and are still kind people. ( )

Ruth and the Green Book is a book about Ruth and her family's trip. Ruth was very excited until finding out many hotels would refuse service to her family, due to Jim Crow laws. A gas station worker gave her family a Green Book, and because of this book it helped them travel. this Green Book listed all the places where they would be treated equally and accepted. This book would be helpful in a History class learning about segregation and discrimination against African Americans. ( )

Ruth and the Green Book is a wonderful multicultural children's book that follows Ruth and her family as they travel across the United States to visit Ruth's grandmother in Alabama. Ruth and her family encounter discrimination along their journey until they reach an Esso gas station and learn of The Negro Motorist Green Book. Guided by the Green Book, Ruth is able to help her family find establishments welcoming black people. Ramsey and Strauss tackle the realities of segregation in a very thoughtful, yet informative way for children. The illustrations are warm and calming which work as a very nice juxtaposition with the content. This book will make a great addition to my classroom library and I will definitely be using it during our Famous Americans unit. ( )

This book follows a young African American girl, Ruth, and her family during their road trip through the south in the 1950’s. In the book Ruth and her family purchase a “Green Book” to help them safely navigate where they can and cannot go while in certain states. Although the story of Ruth is fictional, the “Green Book” is real and it was something used in the 50’s to help African American travelers avoid unsafe places. I liked this historical fiction book, because it incorporates fictional character, but the main part of the book is true. I had heard of the Green Book before reading this, but I didn’t know a lot about it so I really liked that they included a page on the history of “The Negro Motorist Green Book.” ( )