  | Ruby Bridges : a talk with my teacher Author: Bridges, Ruby | |
| Price: $24.48 | ||
Summary:
Ruby Bridges shares the touching tale of reuniting with the first-grade teacher who changed her life, Mrs. Henry.
| Illustrator: | Tran, Trudy |
| Accelerated Reader Information: Interest Level: LG Reading Level: 3.80 Points: .5 Quiz: 553991 |
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (12/15/24)
Booklist (11/01/24)
Full Text Reviews:
Other - 11/11/2024 A year after becoming the first Black child to integrate William Frantz Elementary School, a young Ruby Bridges (b. 1954) approaches second grade with anticipation, the crowds and U.S. Marshals having now gone. "This school is filled with kids now," Bridges exclaims, "and some of them even look like me!" Eager to reunite with Mrs. Henry, her first grade teacher during a year that was "one for the history books," Bridges is crestfallen to discover not only that she’ll have a new classroom and teacher, but that Mrs. Henry has left the school entirely. A sudden turn at the book’s midpoint moves forward to 1995, when the two reunite in Bridges’s adulthood, a meeting 35 years in the making. Tran’s watercolor-style digital art recounts both eras with soft focus, while lengthy text dives into memory and resolution. An author’s note concludes. Ages 4-8. (Jan.) - Copyright 2024
Booklist - 11/01/2024 In Bridges’ second picture book based on her experiences as one of the Black children desegregating New Orleans’ public schools in the 1960s, she recalls returning to her school as a second-grader. She hopes to have other children in her classroom this time, and she longs to see Mrs. Henry, her former teacher and “best friend,” who answered Ruby’s questions and made the year enjoyable for her one student. On the first morning of second grade, Ruby is relieved that she has classmates but disappointed to hear that her beloved teacher is no longer there. The story shifts forward 35 years. Bridges’ first book has been published. Has Mrs. Henry read it? When they meet again, both enjoy reminiscing about their year together. In the digital illustrations, Tran uses lines and colors beautifully to recreate the people and settings integral to the story. Besides expressing her ongoing appreciation for good teachers, Bridges remembers some of her reflections as a primary-grade student, making her perspective particularly useful in helping today’s children better understand the past. - Copyright 2024 Booklist.
