Review by Booklist Review
In this sweet, wise work, Bridges recounts her memories of being the first Black child--and as far as she could see, the first Black person of any age--at a formerly all-white school in 1960 Louisiana. When Ruby first attended school, one where everyone looked like her, she worried that Ruby was "a name for little old ladies." But no problem, she would try to fit in, and fit in she did, in a classroom whose attendance list shows students named Harriet, Fannie, Whitney, Malcolm, Medgar, and Martin--a neat touch. Then our little hero had to take another school's entrance test. No problem either. Soon Ruby's off to the new school, where she hears she will be the first Black student. Suddenly, things aren't so easy. But, being Ruby, she finds happiness: it's good for all children that Black children can go to any school, she says, and we see her happily awaiting new friends. Sepia-toned paintings of Ruby at home and at school will make her journey come alive for readers, who can enjoy the finding-confidence story on its own merits; this will also shine as a complement to civil rights history books.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In an autobiography told through a child's eyes, Ruby Bridges (b. 1954) recounts her experience as the first Black child desegregating William Frantz Elementary School in 1960 New Orleans. External events mean little to six-year-old Bridges as she contemplates "how much I didn't even like my name" and starts out "at a regular school with lots of other kids to play with." But following Brown v. Board of Education, her parents' choice of a school "with better opportunities" brings white federal marshals to the door as an escort. "Who told them I needed a ride to school anyway?" says Bridges, seemingly unaware of the context behind the moment. Viewing class pictures at school finally offers clarity for the child, who sees her experience as a good thing for all: "Who cares what colors we are?... School is just school and kids are just kids." Smith's vigorous digital brushwork portrays Ruby, in sharp relief against blurry backgrounds, as she celebrates being "the first." Ages 4--8. (Sept.)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2--The production here offers a double reading--the first is meant as a read-along to the print title (gorgeously illustrated by Nikkolas Smith), complete with turn-the-page indicators; the second is a straight-through standalone narration. Relative newbie Capeless, still a teenager herself, narrates with crisp enunciation and emphatic energy over a lively background soundtrack. "I wanted to unfold a different version of my story," Bridges writes in her afterword--which isn't, but should be, included in the recording. "One that was told from my own six-year-old self." As a five-then-six-year-old, Bridges knew little of the sociopolitical, history-making context of her going to school--that innocence, even humor, in remembering her experiences of early integration eventually transforms into understanding pride at becoming a barrier-breaking Civil Rights pioneer. VERDICT Libraries should undoubtedly have both audio and print simultaneously available to inspire the youngest readers.
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Review by Horn Book Review
"When I grow up, my work will be precious, I will be a bridge." Bridges, known for her brave work in desegregating a Louisiana school at the age of six, here recounts her monumental entry into William Frantz Elementary as she remembers experiencing it as a child. This includes her excitement about testing into a new school that would provide "better opportunities" and her confusion about why four white men needed to drive her there. Her impressions of the noisy (white) adults screaming as she entered the building are innocent until she realizes she is the only student, and the only Black person inside. In this worthwhile and unique introduction to the civil rights era, Bridges shares memories of optimism and hope, told from a child's point of view that allows for an intimate connection with primary readers. Smith's illustrations, often sweeping double-page spreads, are equal parts immediate, metaphorical (at one point Ruby's fingers are positioned as an actual bridge), and informative. Back matter includes author and illustrator notes and a glossary, whose terms are highlighted in red throughout the story. Eboni Njoku November/December 2022 p.103(c) Copyright 2022. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
The New Orleans school child who famously broke the color line in 1960 while surrounded by federal marshals describes the early days of her experience from a 6-year-old's perspective. Bridges told her tale to younger children in 2009's Ruby Bridges Goes to School, but here the sensibility is more personal, and the sometimes-shocking historical photos have been replaced by uplifting painted scenes. "I didn't find out what being 'the first' really meant until the day I arrived at this new school," she writes. Unfrightened by the crowd of "screaming white people" that greets her at the school's door (she thinks it's like Mardi Gras) but surprised to find herself the only child in her classroom, and even the entire building, she gradually realizes the significance of her act as (in Smith's illustration) she compares a small personal photo to the all-White class photos posted on a bulletin board and sees the difference. As she reflects on her new understanding, symbolic scenes first depict other dark-skinned children marching into classes in her wake to friendly greetings from lighter-skinned classmates ("School is just school," she sensibly concludes, "and kids are just kids") and finally an image of the bright-eyed icon posed next to a soaring bridge of reconciliation. (This book was reviewed digitally.) A unique angle on a watershed moment in the civil rights era. (author and illustrator notes, glossary) (Autobiographical picture book. 6-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
