Ruby Bridges Goes to School: My True Story (Scholastic Reader, Level 2)

'Ruby Bridges Goes To School' was written by Ruby Bridges herself. It is the story of her journey through elementary school a black girl in an all white school. The story tells of her courage and hope through a tough time in America as a little black girl. Ruby got a letter from First Lady

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Roosevelt and also had a picture painted of her by Norman Rockwell. This book is a great tool to use in teaching history in the classroom and also allows african american students to learn about thier culture. Also, this book would be useful in teaching about biographies in literature.

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Summary Ruby Bridge goes to School by Ruby Bridge. This book is about a six year old girl named Ruby Bridge. Ruby Bridges was the first African American to go to school at an all white school in New Orleans. This book chronicles the struggles that she endured to make history.

Personal My 6-year old

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loves this book! It is a fantastic introduction to the civil rights movement and a great springboard for wonderful conversations about how we treat people and how important it is to celebrate the things that make us who we are. It also has very good pictures to go along with the story.

Extension Idea This book is aimed more towards elementary stuents.
Teachers could use this book when talking about the civil rights movement.

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In 1960, six-year-old Ruby Bridges walked through an angry
crowd and into a school where she changed history. This is
the true story of an extraordinary little girl who helped shape
our country when she became the first African-American to
attend an all-white school in New Orleans.

I enjoyed this book for two reasons. I especially liked that it was a very engaging non-fiction book. For example, I found it engaging because of the real photographs on each page. The pictures show Ruby Bridges as well as those that opposed her integration into a white school. I think young

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children would like seeing these pictures as well, and it would reinforce for them that the events in this story are true. I also found it engaging because of the simple yet profound writing. The writing is geared for a 1st or 2nd grade reader with its simple vocabulary and sentence structure, but the message is still powerful. For example, I found the ending lines of the book particularly moving: "I tell children that black and white people can be friends. And most important, I tell children to be kind to each other."
I also liked this book because it forces children to think about the tough issue of racial segregation and broaden their perspectives about America's history. For example, this book showcases life in the United States during segregation for African-Americans. It states, "A long time ago, some people thought that black people and white people shouldn't be friends." This statement is accompanied by a photograph of a white boy holding a sign stating: "We won't go to school with Negroes." This is a sad part of our country's history and will challenge children to look at the United States as a country that has had to improve upon itself, and a country that is still is trying to improve on its imperfections. It will challenge students to look at the injustices that a group of people faced based upon their skin color and how a little girl was able to overcome those injustices in a seemingly small way.
The main idea of this book is to show the effect that a small African-American girl had on our country's history. Her bravery and perseverance paved the way for millions of African-Americans after her, and her story carries themes of friendship, kindness, and courage in the face of adversity.

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This story is an Autobiography, written by Ruby Bridges. Ruby tells her story about being the first black child in a former “all white” school. Although many white people yelled at her to leave, they stopped going to school, leaving Ruby all alone. She braved through the hatred, and eventually

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helped advance the civil rights movement for allowing schools to be integrated.

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A simple but powerful retelling of the Ruby Bridges story. It is written by Ruby and is an accurate and personal recount of her experience going to school as the only black child in her school. It is a good preview for a bigger unit, or could be a mentor text to be used with reading strategies such

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as asking questions, building background knowledge and predicting.

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The courage shown by Ruby Bridges, her Mother, and her Schoolteacher stand alone
in the History of America.

What a difference it would make to our country if our leaders followed their bravery.