Picture book biographies introduce children to Toni Morrison and Ruby Bridges
Two biographical picture books introduce children to the life stories of writer Toni Morrison and civil rights activist Ruby Bridges. First, Andrea Davis Pinkney initially encountered Morrison's work as a child. But later, she became the editor of Morrison's children's books. Now, Pinkney is out with And She Was Loved, a picture book about Morrison's life. In today's episode, the author talks with Here & Now's Lisa Mullins about her decision to write the book in the form of a poem and love letter, Morrison's upbringing in the oral tradition, and how Pinkney approached her editing role. Then, Ruby Bridges tells her own story in an autobiographical picture book. In I Am Ruby Bridges, she recounts her experience as the first Black child to desegregate an all white school in 1960. In today's episode, she joins NPR's Mary Louise Kelly for a conversation about the book. They discuss what that first day of school looked like through a six-year-old's eyes – and the way white parents responded.
To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookoftheday
See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
NPR Privacy Policy
To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookoftheday
See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
NPR Privacy Policy
More description
Two biographical picture books introduce children to the life stories of writer Toni Morrison and civil rights activist Ruby Bridges. First, Andrea Davis Pinkney initially encountered Morrison's work as a child. But later, she became the editor of Morrison's children's books. Now, Pinkney is out with And She Was Loved, a picture book about Morrison's life. In today's episode, the author talks with Here & Now's Lisa Mullins about her decision to write the book in the form of a poem and love letter, Morrison's upbringing in the oral tradition, and how Pinkney approached her editing role. Then, Ruby Bridges tells her own story in an autobiographical picture book. In I Am Ruby Bridges, she recounts her experience as the first Black child to desegregate an all white school in 1960. In today's episode, she joins NPR's Mary Louise Kelly for a conversation about the book. They discuss what that first day of school looked like through a six-year-old's eyes – and the way white parents responded.
To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookoftheday
See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
NPR Privacy Policy
To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookoftheday
See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
NPR Privacy Policy
2025-03-07
16 min
Listen elsewhere
Available Results
Generated results are saved to your library for reuse and search.
No generated results are available for this episode yet.
Transcript
No transcript is available for this episode yet.
Sign in to generate a transcript for review.
Sign in
Chapters
No chapters available.