Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
8th out of 20 books
—
20 voters
Ruth and the Green Book
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.
Hardcover, 32 pages
Published
November 1st 2010
by Carolrhoda Books
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
679)
Ruth's family decides to travel to Alabama to visit her grandmother. The problem is that Ruth and her family are African American and they are traveling in the heyday of Jim Crow. After being turned away from restrooms and hotels, Ruth's father buys a green book, a guide that helped African American travelers navigate the unfriendly world of the Jim Crow South.
This is an excellent introduction to segregation and Jim Crow for younger elementary school students. The examples are clear, easy to co...more
This is an excellent introduction to segregation and Jim Crow for younger elementary school students. The examples are clear, easy to co...more
When we, as teachers either at school or in the home, look at our students and tell them that they should Do what you can, where you are, with what you have to work with, I'm sure many of them think, I can't do anything. This book proves them wrong. One man's knowledge, a simple knowledge born of experience, made a huge difference in the lives of thousands of people when he took the time to share it with others.
Ruth and her parents are driving from Chicago to Alabama to visit her grandmother in...more
Ruth and her parents are driving from Chicago to Alabama to visit her grandmother in...more
I like this book because it is an easy-to-understand depiction of racism in 1950s America. Ruth lives in Chicago and her dad has just purchased a car; they are headed south to visit her grandmother. However, along the way, they learn that as African-Americans (or negros as they are called in the book), they are not welcome at most hotels, restaurants or gas stations. The parents are angry, Ruth is hurt. Along the way, they discover the friendliness of Esso service stations and the existence of a...more
It's the early 1950's and Ruth is proud of her daddy. He's earned enough money to buy the family a '52 sea mist green Buick. They plan a trip from Chicago to Alabama to visit grandma. But, along the way, Ruth is puzzled by 'someone' named Jim Crow and his confusing laws. At some places they can't get gas, food, or even use the washroom,just because of this Jim Crow fellow!
The deeper south they travel the more dangerous it becomes. Yet, a network of people lived along their route who were kind to...more
The deeper south they travel the more dangerous it becomes. Yet, a network of people lived along their route who were kind to...more
This is a great story about a part of history that I was not aware. Ruth and her family wanted to travel by car to visit her Grandma in Alabama. African American travelers often had difficulty finding places that would serve them as they traveled. The further south they drove, the harder it got to find someplace that would welcome them. At one stop, Ruth and her mother wanted to use the restrooms. They couldn't because they were for whites only. One place that did serve them were the Esso statio...more
This is the story of an African American family that purchase an automobile in the 1950's and decide to take it for a ride down south to Alabama. On the road the family finds it hard to be treated as regular travelers for there are many Jim Crow signs that make them feel unwanted. They can't find a place to stay or a place that will allow them to use the restroom. When they make it to an Esso station in Georgia, the attendant shows them The Negro Motorist Green Book written by Victor H. Green,...more
It's 1952 Ruth's dad has just purchased the families first car. They are going on a road trip, to Alabama, to visit Grandma.
When Ruth's family leaves their home state of Chicago, many hotels, gas stations, and restaurants won't take their business because they are black. Finally in Tennessee a friend of Ruth's dad tells them about The Negro Motorist Green Book. It was started by postman Victor H. Green and lists all the places in states where Black business was welcomed.
The family buys a copy of...more
When Ruth's family leaves their home state of Chicago, many hotels, gas stations, and restaurants won't take their business because they are black. Finally in Tennessee a friend of Ruth's dad tells them about The Negro Motorist Green Book. It was started by postman Victor H. Green and lists all the places in states where Black business was welcomed.
The family buys a copy of...more
This outstanding historical fiction picture book highlights the harsh realities of travel for African-Americans in the Jim Crow South. It's well-known that many hotels would not accept African-American travelers, but did you know that many gas stations refused to sell gas to African-Americans as well?
In this story, beautifully illustrated by Floyd Cooper's nostalgic, almost sepia-toned paintings, young Ruth is so excited when Daddy comes home with their very own automobile--a shiny green Buick,...more
In this story, beautifully illustrated by Floyd Cooper's nostalgic, almost sepia-toned paintings, young Ruth is so excited when Daddy comes home with their very own automobile--a shiny green Buick,...more
Ruth and the Green Book is historical fiction about the time when "Jim Crow" laws kept whites and blacks from intermingling in many places in the U.S. Ruth and her parents are traveling from Chicago to Alabama in the 1950's. After leaving Chicago, it becomes more and more difficult to find places that serve Negroes--gas stations, restaurants, motels...
The family meets a man who gives them a copy of "The Green Book" which lists places friendly to Negroes in various cities. Ruth and her family are...more
The family meets a man who gives them a copy of "The Green Book" which lists places friendly to Negroes in various cities. Ruth and her family are...more
Ruth and her family were embarking on their first road trip in their new car---she was going to visit her grandma in Alabama. Not long after leaving the city, Ruth discovered that blacks were not welcome in many of the places between there and her grandmothers home. And many of these places were important parts of a road trip--gas stations, restaurants, motels, etc. During one stop at an Esso station, a man told Ruth and her family about The Green Book. The Green Book was a travel handbook listi...more
This is a picture book about a girl named Ruth and her family taking a car trip from Chicago to Alabama. Ruth discovers that her African-American family aren't treated very well on the road - they are refused service at a motel and can't use service station restrooms. A friendly attendent at an Esso gas station shows the family "The Green Book" which lists places that would welcome black travelers. This book helps them have a safe journey.
I was reading a story online about "The Negro Motorist G...more
I was reading a story online about "The Negro Motorist G...more
I loved this book! It is a historical fiction book about a little girl named Ruth, and her family's drive across the country to visit her grandmother. They are driving from Chicago to Alabama during the time of the Jim Crow laws. They have trouble finding hotels, restaurants, and even gas stations and bathrooms that will serve them. That is, until a lady sells them a green book that lists every place that will serve African Americans in each of the states. I had never heard of the Negro Motorist...more
It's the early 1950's and Ruth and her family are taking a car trip to Alabama to visit her grandmother. Because they are an African-American family they experience discrimination along the way, until a man at an Esso gas station sells them a "Green Book" which lists places where black people traveling are welcome to eat and spend the night. This is a wonderful historical fiction picture book and an age-appropriate way to talk about Jim Crow laws and the Civil Right movement with younger readers...more
Amazing book for fourth grade and up - through high school if they are working on Civil Rights issues, mid-Twentieth Century life, and the like. Somehow I had missed the Green Book in my education, and I have researched it now. It fills in a hole in some of the teaching we need to do with books such as The Watson Go to Birmingham. The Green Book was a handbook that helped African-American families find places to eat, find gasoline, and stay overnight while on the road, especially in the South. R...more
This book takes place in the 1950's when the Jim Crows laws were enforced throughtout the country, but especially in the South. The book is fiction based on the real Green Book that African Americans used to be able to travel. Ruth and her family are traveling from Chicago to Alabama which was not a pleasant trip for blacks during this time. Ruth found out that her family could only get gas for their car at certain gas stations. However, when they were given the Green Book they found out what g...more
Atlanta playwright Calvin Ramsey has revealed an interesting facet of 1950s African American history in his child-friendly story, Ruth and the Green Book. Ruth and her family set off in their shiny new car to visit grandma in rural Alabama. Leaving Chicago with loads of food and excitement, they encounter discrimination and hostility as they stop for gas and hunt for a hotel. The family's journey takes a lucky turn, though, when they're told of The Green Book, which lists places of business that...more
This was a tremendous book. I really found it interesting and I definitely can think of a few ways to use it. The online resource it provides is also excellent. The only thing that threw me was the second sentence on the first page. The narrator was referring to her father's car and halfway through the page, she jumped tenses from past to present and by the beginning of the next page she jumped back to past tense and stayed there for the rest of the book. I don't know if that was a mistake, but...more
This was a very interesting book. This was new information to me.The story takes place on a road trip in the 1950's with an African- American family traveling from Chicago to Alabama.I felt very connected to Ruth, the main character, and narrator of the story. As they were traveling through the South they were denied access to restaurants, hotels, and gas stations. This blatant racism and segregation was new territory and a new reality for young Ruth. As their travels continued,the family was to...more
Genre: PB 42
What a great book! This was so well written and informative. I enjoyed reading about Ruth and her family's trip in their new car and felt for them with all the struggles and tough times they had while driving. The story is well written and is one readers will enjoy hearing what happens to Ruth. I found the illustrations to be remarkable. They were almost lifelike and made the story easy to follow or readers. I really en joyed reading the true information at the back of the book and f...more
What a great book! This was so well written and informative. I enjoyed reading about Ruth and her family's trip in their new car and felt for them with all the struggles and tough times they had while driving. The story is well written and is one readers will enjoy hearing what happens to Ruth. I found the illustrations to be remarkable. They were almost lifelike and made the story easy to follow or readers. I really en joyed reading the true information at the back of the book and f...more
This book is a wonderful opportunity to teach children (and the adults in their lives) about the Green Book. It may sound strange, but you could pair it with Knuffle Bunny Free: An Unexpected Diversion Green Book is historical fiction and Knuffle Bunny Free contemporary realistic fiction, but they share the travel and generosity themes.
This book made me really want to consider the Arizona law and how current illegal immigrants must feel as they travel in this country. I wonder if a new Green B...more
This book made me really want to consider the Arizona law and how current illegal immigrants must feel as they travel in this country. I wonder if a new Green B...more
Beautifully written and illustrated book about an African American family traveling across country in 1952 to visit family. Along the way Ruth's and her parents are often refused service, making their journey a challenging one. They are told by a friend about Esso Gas Stations and their willingness to help African Americans. Its at one of these stations Ruth's family purchased "The Green Book" for seventy-five cents. This book showed travelers safe and friendly places along their rout where Afri...more
This is an excellent book about the Jim Crow laws of the 1950s, which denied basic rights and civil liberties to African-Americans. A family travels through the United States looking for places to stay and places to pump gas only to be denied service. A clever African-American man named Victor Green came up with something called a green book which listed places which would rent hotels, serve meals and pump gas for African-Americans. This is what saves the family vacation from being a complete wa...more
Fascinating book about something that hasn't yet been covered among the slew of Civil Rights Era children's books--The Negro Motorist Green Book, a AAA-type guide about where to find places that would serve blacks for those who were refused service pretty much everywhere. Ruth's narrator voice seems a little old for her age in the book, and a little too perceptive, but it presents the ideal that it frames adequately, so I'm not really bothered by it.
Apparently there's a PDF of the complete 1949...more
Apparently there's a PDF of the complete 1949...more
Too often African-American history for kids is reduced to Jim Crow, Slavery, Opression, and Civil Rights, without any idea of how strong people got by and what steps there were inbetween opression and equality. This story offers some of that, but ultimately a sense of resilience and power that is often missing in books about the African-American experience. Ruth and her family are traveling south by car and running into terrible problems due to racism and Jim Crow laws. They find helpful people...more
Mar 22, 2011
Jolita Spears
added it
I used this book to help students have an understanding of Jim Crow laws during the reconstruction period after the Civil War. This book provides students with a coherent account of some of the indignities and hardships that African Americans had to endure as a result of the Jim Crow laws in the south and discriminatory practices across states. The tells how African Americans tried to avoid prejudice and danger by following advice about recommended service stations, restaurants, and places to st...more
I really liked this book for teaching about our history and the racism that went on in our country. It would be a great companion book to the book "The Other Side" by Woodson, "Let them Play" by Raven or "Uncle Jed's Barbershop" by Mitchell. The last page offers real historical facts about segregation the Jim Crow movement and the use of the Green Book. They provide you with a web address to go and download a portion of a Green Book from 1964 for printing.
Great jump off point with any grade lev...more
Great jump off point with any grade lev...more
Rith and her parents buy a brand new car, which prompts them take a road trip from Chicago to visit her grandmother. But during the 1950's, that is not such an easy task for African Americans. Ruth and her parents are turned down at gas stations and motels, who serve whites only. They sat with her father's friend who tells them to look out for the Esso station. Ruth spots it and the attendent tells them about "The Negro Motorist Green Book" that lists businesses that are friendly to African Amer...more
This book represents a time in which folks of color were not looked upon highly by those who were not but a young girl does not realize this until she leaves her home for a trip. On the way her and her family end up making friends and finding a lot of help in a green book she is given. I believe this book is one that is good for children to see and learn about racism and how severe it actually was. This would be a good conversation starter to get children thinking about racism and how awful it t...more
This Bluebonnet nominee is an excellent book to supplement any Civil Rights lessons going on in the classroom. Many kids only know about how dangerous a trip from Chicago to Alabama was during the Jim Crowe time period. Unless they have grandparents who live close to them and made such brave travels, they don't know what it was like. I was very interested in this book and enjoyed the character of Ruth very much. This fits into the newer informative text in narrative form. I hope more books come...more
This book is about a little girl traveling with her family to go see her grandma in the the South. This family is black and she was going to experience many things that were scary for a little girl. No one would let them use their restrooms, restaurants, or hotels because they were black. Finally they were told about the Green Book, which was a guide to places that allowed black people to come by. It was a great story full of historical information I didn't even know about.
Great book to add to m...more
Great book to add to m...more
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Calvin Alexander Ramsey is a playwright, photographer, and painter. He adapted one of his plays for print as RUTH AND THE GREEN BOOK, illustrated by Floyd Cooper. Calvin Alexander Ramsey lives in Atlanta.
More about Calvin Alexander Ramsey...
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
Jan 13, 2012 11:36am