Talk about the things you learn in a day. Today I learned about the Green Book, thanks to this story and the helpful history of this book provided after the story by the author.

Packed with beautiful 1960s-esque colours and style, this is a story of a Ruth's road trip with her parents to visit her grandma in Alabama. They hop into dad's new 1952 Buick, what dad calls "Sea Mist Green" and head to the roads.

Yet as they travel further from Chicago, they face discrimination. A gas station refuses to let Ruth and her mom uses the restroom. A hotel rejects them. So they sleep and eat on the side of a highway.

Yet thanks to a friendly gas station attendant (oh and the gas station itself - one that didn't mind serving African-Americans at that time), Ruth and her family learn about this Green Book. It includes information for travelling African Americans so that they know where they can sleep, eat, or even get their haircut!

Once dad buys it things get much easier and their trip to see grandma is so much nicer.

Through Ruth and her family, we learn about the impact of the Jim Crow laws and the hardships many endured as a result. Yet we also learn about the gift of generosity, of sharing, and of the strength in being determined to find happiness in a very difficult time.

Loved this story.