Dear Ruby, Hear Our Hearts by Ruby Bridges

Dear Ruby, Hear Our Hearts by Ruby Bridges

"I've heard their hearts and now share those hearts with you. These pages truly speak to the power of children!" -- Ruby Bridges

Ruby Bridges was the first Black child to attend an all-white elementary school in New Orleans. She established the Ruby Bridges Foundation to promote tolerance and to create change through education. She traveled across the US, listening to the inspiring voices of young children.

Dear Ruby, Hear Our Hearts is a compilation of letters from concerned young students about today's issues, including bullying, climate change, gun violence, and racism. Reading Ruby's intuitive and inspirational responses, young readers will embrace the courage to be brave, bold, and confident.

Dear Ruby,

My name is Olivia. Thank you for sharing your story. It made me want to be brave and stand up to make a change. You showed me to not give up when something is unfair. You can make it change, no matter what. I bet you were scared just like me. You said that if someone or something is putting you down, you get back up.

My heart heard that, and I am trying to be more like you.

Sincerely,

Olivia

My dearest Olivia,

I am so pleased you wrote to me, especially about standing up. I know all too well how scary it can be to stand up for yourself or even others. Just know it takes a courageous and brave person to stand up, even if you are afraid. It happens to us all!

I am proud of you,

Ruby Bridges

The students' letters and Ruby's responses are powerfully illustrated with dynamic and thought-provoking artwork by John Jay Cabuay.

Ruby Bridges is a civil rights activist who was the first black kid in New Orleans to integrate an all-white primary school when she was six years old. She was born in Mississippi in 1954, the same year that the United States Supreme Court issued a landmark decision mandating public school integration. Bridges and her family eventually moved to New Orleans, where she began attending William Frantz Elementary School on November 14, 1960, and was responsible for the desegregation of public school in New Orleans. Norman Rockwell's iconic picture The Trouble We All Live With, Robert Coles' book The Tale of Ruby Bridges, and the Disney film Ruby Bridges all depict her trip to the front door of the building. Following the publication of her award-winning autobiography Through My Eyes, This Is Your Time is her first book in almost two decades.