This is a true story about an African American woman named Rosa Parks who refused to give up her seat on a public bus to a white man. This one small thing that Rosa Parks refused to do was the start of chain reaction and others joined her in the fight for civil rights. The central message of this story is that everyone must work together to fight for whats right in order to make change possible. ( )

This is a great book to read to students, especially during Black History Month! I loved how the book had a repetitive message throughout, "...which was overturned because one woman was brave." It really emphasizes how monumental Rosa Park was. I also enjoyed reading the introduction at the beginning of the book that gave background on Rosa Parks because I never really knew her background, and it set the story for the time that she was living in. The book had little characters that gave deeper meaning to the story, which I liked, too. They said things like, "For a whole year, black people held out and didn't use the buses," and, "Now that the movement has started, nothing can stop it!" These characters act as narrators for the story, as if it is a play. It was a unique way to set up the book, and I've never seen it before. ( )

Written in a cumulative narrative that will engage younger readers, this is an excellent first look at Rosa Park's decision not to give up her seat on a bus that put into motion protests around the country over the unfair treatment of African Americans. This book does not dive deep into the subject but might pique the interest of students to find out more about Rosa Parks and the Civil Rights Movement. ( )

I had mixed feelings about this book. The story itself is a great work with a powerful message that is easier for young readers to comprehend, relate to, and learn about. I enjoyed the text features used to capture the reader's attention, but I did not like how small the text was in the text bubbles on the page. The style of the writing is also strange and was harder for me to follow. It was repetitive with a "This is...." passage at the beginning of each page but I felt I was not gathering the entire reason of why Rosa Parks did what she did. She was portrayed as a woman that just didn't want to stand up for a white man on a public bus, got fined and continued to protest, but I feel the events that occurred were rushed through. Rosa Parks did more than just say "no," and I feel that while she was very brave, she was brave for many other things than saying "no." I felt that this could have been explained in a more child friendly manner, but some vocabulary and themes in the book could be introduced during this time, such as "forbidding laws", "overturned", the judicial system, and "racism". I liked the illustrations and text features but I did not necessarily like the presentation of the material. ( )

I really enjoyed reading the book, The Bus Ride that Changed History. The first reason that I enjoyed reading this story was because of the writing. The book was written in word bubbles and conversation style. It showed students talking about the events like they were on every page. I also like the repetition of the words in the story. Each page was a little different but they all ended with "which was overturned because one woman was brave." Another reason I liked the story was because the book pushes readers to think about tough issues, such as segregation. The book tells the story of Rosa park and the story informs readers about how everything used to be separate. This story broadens reader's perspectives and shows them how times didn't used to be so easy. The main idea of this book is segregation and standing up for what you believe in. Rosa Parks refused to move her seat because she wanted to be treated like every other white person. She got arrested for not moving her seat, and ever since then, history was made. ( )