Review of The Story of Ruby Bridges
by Caleb Powell (with a little help from Mommy and Daddy)


The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles and illustrated by George Ford is about a little girl named Ruby Bridges who was born in Mississippi. Her family was really poor. Sometimes they didn't even have much to eat. Her dad worked picking crops and then he lost his job because the owners of the land got machines to pick the crops. So, her family moved to New Orleans when Ruby was about four years old.

Black and white children were not allowed to go to the same schools in New Orleans, but (in 1960) when Ruby was six years old, four black girls were chosen to go to white schools. Ruby was one of the girls and the school she went to was called William Frantz Elementary School. Ruby's parents were proud of her.

When Ruby went to school, she saw a big mob of people in front of the school and they were holding up signs and some were making fists at her. Their signs said that they wanted to keep the school a white school. The parents didn't let their kids go back to school because they didn't want them learning with a black girl. Everyday, Ruby had to walk into school with men (federal marshals) who the President of the United States said had to protect her. Everyday, Ruby was the only child in the classroom, learning by herself with her teacher.

One day, when Ruby was coming to school, Ruby's teacher was looking through the classroom window and saw Ruby moving her lips outside where the mob was standing in front of the school. It looked like Ruby was talking to the crowd. Later, her teacher asked Ruby what she was saying to the people in front of the school. Ruby said that she wasn't talking to them but she was praying for them.

Every single day, before and after school, Ruby said this prayer: "Please, God, try to forgive those people. Because even if they say those bad things, they don't know what they're doing. So you could forgive them, just like you did those folks a long time ago when they said terrible things about You.".



Caleb is a 6-year-old kindergartner who loves to collect and build Bionicles, count money, and play "Monopoly Junior". He enjoys the outdoors and welcomes every opportunity to play outside with his friends. His mom, who is his number-one soccer fan, says that he is doing great in sports and school!


December 1, 2002