If a Bus Could Talk

Title: If a Bus Could Talk: The Story of Rosa Parks

Author: Faith Ringgold

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers 1999

Genre: Nonfiction Biography Picture Book

Age Range: 3-5

Summary: Rosa Parks, an African-American girl had walked many miles to her one-room schoolhouse in Alabama while white children rode to their school in a bus. During her years of adulthood, she still rode a bus to and from work in a segregated city. They still were not allowed to sit in the same row as a white person. One day Rosa refused to give up her seat for a white man and her act of courage inspired others around the world to stand up for freedom. Rosa Parks is known as the mother of the Civil Rights Movement.

Response: I loved this book and I feel that children will love this book as well. I am a huge fan of history and this books presents a great theme about Rosa Parks and her experience on the bus. Children would love this book. It is made for upper elementary. There are some challenging words and sentences inside the book, but overall it is great for upper elementary students to read.