Ruby Bridges Takes Her Seat: Courageous Kid of the Civil Rights Movement

by Myra Faye Turner, Dante Ginevra (Illustrator)

Overview

When 6-year-old Ruby Bridges and her mother went to William Frantz Elementary School on November 14, 1960, they arrived to find an angry crowd of white people shouting racist insults. For her safety, Ruby had to be escorted to school every day by U.S. Marshals. But despite the hateful attitudes of others, Ruby didn't miss a single day of school that year. Discover the incredible bravery of one young Black girl who faced terrible persecution to get an education in the same school as her fellow white students.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781666334371
Publisher:	Capstone
Publication date:	01/08/2022
Series:	Courageous Kids
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	798,458
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)
Lexile:	GN630L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 11 Years

About the Author

Myra Faye Turner is a New Orleans-based poet and author. She has written for grownups, but prefers writing for young readers. She has written two dozen nonfiction books for children and young adults, covering diverse topics like politics, the Apollo moon landing, edible insects, and U.S. history. When she’s not writing, she spends her days reading, napping, and drinking coffee.

Dante Ginevra’s work can be found in numerous publications in his home country of Argentina. These include comics and comic strips in Fierro, Télam, and a variety of other magazines. In addition, he has illustrative work in graphic novels that span the globe. They include Cardal, published in Uruguay, and Entreactos and El Muertero Zabaletta, both published in Spain. Throughout his career he has also participated in numerous exhibitions in Argentina, Italy, Russia, Brazil, France, and Germany.

Table of Contents

The Racial Divide 4

A Better Life 6

Separate, Not Equal 10

Civil Unrest 16

Student and Teacher 24

Finding Her Voice 28

Glossary 30

Read More 31

Internet Sites 31

Index 32

About the Author 32

Interviews

Features young, diverse historical figures in empowering roles, aligning with Capstone's mission that "Reading Is For Everyone!";

Editorial Reviews

Folks who think that graphic novels don’t hold as much content as traditional texts have another thing coming with the Courageous Kids series. These new entries examine the lives of brave young people in history while providing ample context for the events and social conditions each had to confront. Though the books have different illustrators, the artwork in each is realistic and incorporates significant historic details. In Anne Frank Writes Words of Hope, readers spend time with Frank in Amsterdam before and after she goes into hiding, absorbing information about the Nazi party’s antisemitic agenda and Frank’s lasting legacy along the way. Jim Crow laws and white supremacy are addressed through the lens of desegregating schools in the American South in both The Little Rock Nine Challenge Segregation and Ruby Bridges Takes Her Seat. The former follows the first Black students chosen to attend Arkansas’ Central High School as they bravely faced hateful crowds and the court system for their right to education. Similarly, Ruby Bridges describes how young Bridges broke New Orleans’ color barrier as a first grader, despite massive resistance to integration by the public and elected officials. Mary Anning Breaks New Ground offers many fascinating insights into the life of this renowned fossil hunter in addition to highlighting the challenges she faced as a self-taught woman pursuing a scientific career.

Booklist - Julia Smith

11/01/2022

Gr 3–6—These four graphic novels tell the stories of outstanding young people of the past. In Mary Anning Breaks New Ground, readers learn of Anning's discoveries of prehistoric fossils along the English coast, her research, and her struggles to be recognized by the male-dominated Geologic Society. Ruby Bridges Takes Her Seat details the struggles of the six-year-old girl who broke school racial barriers in 1960 New Orleans. The Little Rock Nine Challenge Segregation provides a suspenseful account of the events surrounding the integration of Little Rock, Arkansas's Central High School. Anne Frank Writes Words of Hope provides readers with a look at her life inside the annex while hiding from the Nazis. Colorful drawings tell the story as much as the text and will attract visual learners. The information provided is good and the detailed narratives in Ruby Bridges and The Little Rock Nine are engrossing; readers will anxiously turn the pages to see how events unfold. Dinosaur fans will appreciate Anning's opportunity to find and research so many fossils. Those unfamiliar with Frank's story will find her an inspiration as someone who managed living in a constant state of fear and uncertainty. VERDICT Given the graphic form of these books along with perennial classroom topics, these books should do well in libraries and attract those who like the pictures to inform as well as the text.

School Library Journal