Close Modal

This Is Your Time

Look inside
Hardcover
$17.99 US
5.3"W x 7.2"H x 0.42"D   | 5 oz | 24 per carton
On sale Nov 10, 2020 | 64 Pages | 978-0-593-37852-6
Age 10 and up | Grade 5 & Up
Reading Level: Lexile 940L | Fountas & Pinnell W
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • CBC KIDS’ BOOK CHOICE AWARD WINNER

Civil rights icon Ruby Bridges—who, at the age of six, was the first black child to integrate into an all-white elementary school in New Orleans—inspires readers and calls for action in this moving letter. Her elegant, memorable gift book is especially uplifting in the wake of Kamala Harris making US history as the first female, first Black, and first South Asian vice president–elect.

 
Written as a letter from civil rights activist and icon Ruby Bridges to the reader, This Is Your Time is both a recounting of Ruby’s experience as a child who had to be escorted to class by federal marshals when she was chosen to be one of the first black students to integrate into New Orleans’ all-white public school system and an appeal to generations to come to effect change.
 
This beautifully designed volume features photographs from the 1960s and from today, as well as stunning jacket art from The Problem We All Live With, the 1964 painting by Norman Rockwell depicting Ruby’s walk to school.
 
Ruby’s honest and impassioned words, imbued with love and grace, serve as a moving reminder that “what can inspire tomorrow often lies in our past.” This Is Your Time will electrify people of all ages as the struggle for liberty and justice for all continues and the powerful legacy of Ruby Bridges endures.
  • SELECTION | 2021
    Bank Street College Best Children's Book of the Year
"Powerful.... Bridges’ hopeful words, her faith born of experience, are soothing and encouraging in this time of unrest and uncertainty." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

Timely, powerful, and full of hope. This missive of truth, spoken by a true American hero, deserves a place in all libraries.” —School Library Journal, starred review

“Ruby experienced unimaginable racial hatred, lost her oldest son to random violence, and still advocates for positive change. Kids will relate to Ruby's stories on many levels and be inspired by the difference one little girl made. A profoundly moving book.” —Booklist, starred review
Ruby Bridges is a civil rights activist who, at the age of six, was the first black student to integrate an all-white elementary school in New Orleans. She was born in Mississippi in 1954, the same year the United States Supreme Court handed down its landmark decision ordering the integration of public schools. Her family later moved to New Orleans, where on November 14, 1960, Bridges began attending William Frantz Elementary School, single-handedly initiating the desegregation of public education in New Orleans. Her walk to the front door of the building was immortalized in Norman Rockwell's famous painting The Problem We All Live With, in Robert Coles's book The Story of Ruby Bridges, and in the Disney movie Ruby Bridges.

This Is Your Time is her first book in over twenty years, following the publication of her award-winning autobiography Through My Eyes. View titles by Ruby Bridges
Educator Guide for This Is Your Time

Classroom-based guides appropriate for schools and colleges provide pre-reading and classroom activities, discussion questions connected to the curriculum, further reading, and resources.

(Please note: the guide displayed here is the most recently uploaded version; while unlikely, any page citation discrepancies between the guide and book is likely due to pagination differences between a book’s different formats.)

Discussion Guide for This Is Your Time

Provides questions, discussion topics, suggested reading lists, introductions and/or author Q&As, which are intended to enhance reading groups’ experiences.

(Please note: the guide displayed here is the most recently uploaded version; while unlikely, any page citation discrepancies between the guide and book is likely due to pagination differences between a book’s different formats.)

About

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • CBC KIDS’ BOOK CHOICE AWARD WINNER

Civil rights icon Ruby Bridges—who, at the age of six, was the first black child to integrate into an all-white elementary school in New Orleans—inspires readers and calls for action in this moving letter. Her elegant, memorable gift book is especially uplifting in the wake of Kamala Harris making US history as the first female, first Black, and first South Asian vice president–elect.

 
Written as a letter from civil rights activist and icon Ruby Bridges to the reader, This Is Your Time is both a recounting of Ruby’s experience as a child who had to be escorted to class by federal marshals when she was chosen to be one of the first black students to integrate into New Orleans’ all-white public school system and an appeal to generations to come to effect change.
 
This beautifully designed volume features photographs from the 1960s and from today, as well as stunning jacket art from The Problem We All Live With, the 1964 painting by Norman Rockwell depicting Ruby’s walk to school.
 
Ruby’s honest and impassioned words, imbued with love and grace, serve as a moving reminder that “what can inspire tomorrow often lies in our past.” This Is Your Time will electrify people of all ages as the struggle for liberty and justice for all continues and the powerful legacy of Ruby Bridges endures.

Awards

  • SELECTION | 2021
    Bank Street College Best Children's Book of the Year

Praise

"Powerful.... Bridges’ hopeful words, her faith born of experience, are soothing and encouraging in this time of unrest and uncertainty." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

Timely, powerful, and full of hope. This missive of truth, spoken by a true American hero, deserves a place in all libraries.” —School Library Journal, starred review

“Ruby experienced unimaginable racial hatred, lost her oldest son to random violence, and still advocates for positive change. Kids will relate to Ruby's stories on many levels and be inspired by the difference one little girl made. A profoundly moving book.” —Booklist, starred review

Author

Ruby Bridges is a civil rights activist who, at the age of six, was the first black student to integrate an all-white elementary school in New Orleans. She was born in Mississippi in 1954, the same year the United States Supreme Court handed down its landmark decision ordering the integration of public schools. Her family later moved to New Orleans, where on November 14, 1960, Bridges began attending William Frantz Elementary School, single-handedly initiating the desegregation of public education in New Orleans. Her walk to the front door of the building was immortalized in Norman Rockwell's famous painting The Problem We All Live With, in Robert Coles's book The Story of Ruby Bridges, and in the Disney movie Ruby Bridges.

This Is Your Time is her first book in over twenty years, following the publication of her award-winning autobiography Through My Eyes. View titles by Ruby Bridges

Additional Materials

Educator Guide for This Is Your Time

Classroom-based guides appropriate for schools and colleges provide pre-reading and classroom activities, discussion questions connected to the curriculum, further reading, and resources.

(Please note: the guide displayed here is the most recently uploaded version; while unlikely, any page citation discrepancies between the guide and book is likely due to pagination differences between a book’s different formats.)

Discussion Guide for This Is Your Time

Provides questions, discussion topics, suggested reading lists, introductions and/or author Q&As, which are intended to enhance reading groups’ experiences.

(Please note: the guide displayed here is the most recently uploaded version; while unlikely, any page citation discrepancies between the guide and book is likely due to pagination differences between a book’s different formats.)

Black Icons, Past and Present

Read more about Black icons who have made incredible impacts in politics, activism, art, entertainment, sports, literature, and more! These biographies and memoirs tell the authors’ stories in their own voices, which, in turn, invite readers to explore their own identities and pen their own points of view. With books for all ages, children and

Read more

Recognize – Honor – Celebrate Black History Month!

We invite you to explore our collection of relevant classics and contemporary biographies, engaging memoirs, beautiful essays and history plus striking poetry (Amanda Gorman!) from a spectrum of voices. PRH has books for speakers & writers, for educators, for activists that speak to slavery, civil rights, the arts and current events — our books educate

Read more