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This is a book that matters, and it pleases and succeeds on so many levels. Ruth and the Green Book is the story of a young girl and her parents who travel from their home in Chicago to visit relatives in Alabama. The book is set during the segregated 1940s, a time when it wasn't easy for a black family to find places to eat, shop, and sleep while making their way across the country. Aided by "The Negro Motorist Green Book" — a travel guide listing black-friendly businesses — the young family works together to make their journey. This is a children's picture book, but readers of any age will be uplifted by its soft images, gentle beauty, and the sense of love and community it imparts to the reader.