Review: Going Places: Victor Hugo Green and His Glorious Book

Going Places: Victor Hugo Green and His Glorious Book

Written by Tonya Bolden

Illustrated by Eric Velasquez

Quill Tree Books, 2022. Informational.

Beginning in 1936, Victor Hugo Green began publishing his Green Book, a travel guide for Black families to assist them in their travels through Jim Crow era America. As Green visited different parts of America, he found that there were places where Blacks were treated with respect, and places that refused to even let them be within the city limits after dark. He started his book by including places only near his hometown of Harlem, New York and eventually it grew to have information about major cities in every US state. It covered not only where to travel, but where to eat, get a haircut, fix your car, and go out dancing.

This book is an accessible story in picture book format for young children to learn about segregation and Jim Crow laws. Older children will love looking at the detailed oil paint illustrations of primary source documents like newspapers, postcards, and advertisements to find out further historical facts about the time period. If your children would like to learn about history, entrepreneurship, resourcefulness, or determination, check out this book!

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