The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles

Some years, after reading this book, I have shown the movie: Disney’s Ruby Bridges. By the time we read this book, the students have had quite a bit of background knowledge about segregation and civil rights. I read this book after reading several books about Martin Luther King, Jr. It shows them to stand up for what you believe is right. I feel this empowers my class and shows them how change can happen without using fists. They love hearing about the brave girl who helped to change the world and was the same age as they are. I love this book and this topic because the children in my class are in first grade. The book shows Ruby’s brave and forgiving heart in spite of the cruel actions by the adults around her. This book tells the story of Ruby Bridges, a first grader who was also the first African American child to go to William Frantz Elementary School. It has an objective feel to it, even though Dr.

I have found the lack of feeling from Ruby leaves the students wanting to read other books about Ruby in order to find out more information about her. There are reactions and thoughts from her teacher and family. You don’t get a lot of Ruby’s feelings and thoughts. Tone: Although he worked so closely with Ruby Bridges, the book has a detached feel to it, not a lot of feeling, more of a retelling. It is told as if a story, but filled with facts about Ruby starting at the school.

I like how the illustrator emphasizes the size and youth of Ruby and the other girls through his use of perspective (pages 6, 10, and 14 are some examples). Style: The author provides accurate facts. He writes as an insider due to his extensive research on the subject. Coles spent 30 years studying Ruby Bridges and other children and wrote about it in various works. Interviewers, journalists, and reviewers often seize on the apparent contradictions - he is a physician without a conventional practice who teaches college literature a psychiatrist who rejects much of the language of his field and a Harvard academic who spends much of his time volunteering in ghetto schools.Ĭoles was moved by the moral spirit and leadership of Ruby Bridges and other children (both black and white) who became friends during a turbulent era and ended up helping to change segregation laws. Author: Robert Coles Illustrator: George FordĪuthor’s perspective: According to Scott London:Ĭoles describes himself variously as a doctor, child psychiatrist, oral historian, social anthropologist, teacher, friend, storyteller, busybody, and nuisance.

The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles