Ruth and the Green Book Paperback – January 1, 2013

This book is a gem and a must-read for ALL children. The creation of The Green Book by Mr. Victor H. Green was not only ingenious, but, a GOD-send for African Americans.

As a former children's librarian EONS ago I was glad to procure this for my personal collection (children's books are often great art and literature). But as a Caucasian dude I wouldn't have likely discovered this book if The Seattle Times' weekly "Autos" advertising feature hadn't highlighted a syndicated piece about the late Victor Green's 3-decade serial (updated regularly btwn. 1936-66) "The Negro Motorist Green Book." No, this ISN'T a child's book about S&H Green Stamps (Google it!) nor a book about "how to be more 'earth-friendly.'" Short of being able to procure my own copy of Green's guide (which I'd ultimately donate to my local public library or an appropriate history museum) I couldn't find additional information about the guide. Since I already have a tiny collection of "kiddy lit," I added "Ruth and the Green Book" to that collection. It's received great reviews from the top children's literature review sources, eg School Library Journal, the American Library Assn. Great historical fiction and truly good illustrations.

Reading this story should be a must in every school. After I married my husband I discovered that not everyone was as friendly to mixed marriages as where we lived. I was shocked to discover how much is still separate and yes I fear for my children. If we would read books like this to our young ones I believe we could make real changes by teaching them we are all a family. I would give this book 10 stars if possible.

A poignant and beautiful book based on the travel experiences of African Americans travelling in the 50s using the Green Book to locate restaurants, gas stations and bed and breakfasts in the US. I never knew about the Green Book (1930-60s) and this book is a wonderful introduction about the history behind the purpose. The illustrations are gorgeous and support the storyline perfectly. This book should be included as part of the social studies curriculum for elementary aged children.

What is so important to the study of history - even, or perhaps especially, for young people - is the ability to feel the past. It is very difficult to acheive this, as sensitive topics are most often presented in a "now we know better" kind of way, as if to circumvent human compassion and make us glad we live here now and not back then.In Ruth and the Green Book, we have the opportunity to view a very real and common situation through the eyes of a child. We feel the hurt of prejudice with her - the shame, the fear, and the confusion that comes with having to face reality as it is. We learn through her experience about the history of the United States. But her triumph, at the end, is personal. It does not belong to a nation.

The content is very good. The writing is just not appealing. Mostly narrative and not enough conversation. This turned the book into more of a documentary than a children's book.

For me, the illustrations in this book almost steal the show... they are magnificent and evocative!Because it is not very long, at first I thought that the story would not be adequate to the task of exploring the "Green Book" theme.But after reading it through, I realized that the story does touch on all the important points, and the author is simply using a judicious economy of words.The story is all it needs to be, and strikes just the right tone, demonstrating how wrong segregation was from the level of basic humanity.The book ends up packing quite a powerful punch, but in an understated way.I'm looking forward to sharing this book with friends, both the old ones and the young ones, and recommending it to others.

I wanted to see what story would be good through the eyes of a little girl and in it's brevity it made sense.

Thoughtful look at a sad time in North American history -- how people of African descent co-operated to find a way around the restrictions they faced when trying to travel. I bought the Kindle edition and the only drawback was not being able to see the beautiful illustrations in as much detail as I'd hoped.

J’ai pris ce livre pour enseigner le thème de la segration autrement en anglais au collège. Je pense que c’est plutot réussi comme livre eductive sur cette période. On voit les souffrances de sa famille qui vient d’obtenir une voiture, mais qui est la bienvenue nul part.L’histoire en tant que telle, est peu naturelle ayant clairement un but histoirique clair. Je suis contente de mon achat, mais d’autres, ceux qui l’acheterai juste pour lire avec leurs enfants, risque d’être plus déçu

A well presented storyline, a piece of history accessible to young inexperienced readers curious to know more about how others live their lives. A topic sensitive to many but sensitively written.