In 1960, the country watched as a six-year-old girl in a white dress was escorted to class, surrounded by federal marshals with guns. It was the first time that a black child was allowed to enter an all-white school. At the time, Ruby Bridges didn't know why there were barricades and police everywhere or why people lined up to yell horrible things. She was just a first grader who wanted to go to school like everyone else.

But Ruby couldn't go to school like everyone else. While the other children ate lunch together in the cafeteria, Ruby ate with her teacher, Mrs. Henry. Isolated from the other students, she was the only one in her class.

With simple language, Ruby's words reach beyond the historical facts, providing readers with a vivid recollection of what those days were like. Sepia-toned photographs capture the menacing face of segregation, rounding out Ruby's reflections with indelible images.

A deeply personal account from one of the icons of the civil rights movement is a story of momentous importance and testament to the fact that little children can do big things.