Liberty's Civil Rights Road Trip (2024)

I have heard of the Civil Rights Road Trip. It is a trip thru the civil rights history and the fight for freedom. The road trip reminds us of courage, where we have come from and where we are going. Martin Luther's dream was about unity. Finding the common ground without violence. I would recommend reading this on your own as a parent to think deeply about what you want to expose your children to.

A special thank you to Flyaway Books and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

This was a very cute, adorable and informational read. It was perfect to inform my child who i read this to about some of the people who stood up to give rights to vote. Liberty was adorable and the ending was perfect.

This is the True Story of a Young Girl named Liberty who along with her friends take an Emotional Journey Across the USA for Equal Rights for People with Colour.
Thanks to Net Gallery for this Book.

I love this book! I needed this book when I was growing up. Civil Rights was not part of my education. Now I am grateful to have this book to pass on the knowledge to my students.

Liberty's Civil Rights Road Trip was a very sweet story about what were really heavy times and places. The bus trip stopped at six very important places on the road to Black freedom. Each stop explained the circ*mstances that made the site historic in appropriate language.

It's a starting place for teaching children about the history of this country. I found myself feeling sad because I knew the truth and the more grim stories of the locations but the author kept it truthful but appropriate for about the ages of 6 to 12. There is an option in the back of the book to go deeper into the story if you choose too. I read this to my eight year old and it not only held his attention but he asked me questions. I love a book that sparks conversation.

The artwork (which looked like watercolors) was very sweet-perfect for a children's book. Liberty was a sweet and inquisitive little girl. I loved her character. I loved the diversity of the characters on the trip. It didn't make it so that only black people are on this bus.

There were people of all faiths and colors and that's who should be looking into this history because black history is American history. I appreciated that so much. This is a book that I would buy for every classroom and every child's library because it is a great primer for civil rights history.

Thank you Flyaway Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

After the passing of two civil rights leaders from the 1960s, author Michael W. Waters was inspired to write this book. To commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the 1968 assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, he led a civil rights trip for faith leaders from Dallas. His family also went along and this story is based on their trip and the history his daughter and her friend experienced.

Liberty and her friend, Abdullah, board a bus with a group of passengers and her family to travel to places important in the civil rights movement. Stops on their trip include Jackson and Glendora, Mississippi, Memphis, Tennessee, and Birmingham, Montgomery, and Selma, Alabama. The story is told through the eyes of Liberty as she experiences civil rights history for the first time.

Liberty’s child-like excitement level is high as they start off on their bus trip. Like any child on a road trip, she asks, “Are we there yet?”. When she learns of children being hurt, many near her age, she begins to understand the scope of what happened to families and children just like her.

Included in the story are illustrations of the real-life people who stood up for civil rights or who were killed because of their courage. The pages also include illustrations of the places visited on the bus trip. I felt incredibly ignorant while reading this story because I wasn’t aware that you could visit the motel where Dr. King was killed. Several of the other stops on the tour are on my list of places to visit.

The characters in the story are based on the real people who took the bus trip with Liberty and her family and are from all kinds of nationalities, religions, and backgrounds. Being together and learning from each other’s experiences and history helps bring everyone together. As they all held hands and crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, Liberty’s dad said, “This is what American looks like.” Liberty said, “Maybe this is what love looks like too!”

This book would be a great addition to a school or homeschool curriculum when teaching civil rights. The back of the book includes brief notes about the places Liberty visited and a note from the author. For more about this trip and the civil rights movement, visit www.civilrightstrail.com.

This picture book is a 3.5 for me. I've often thought of planning my own civil rights road trip and visiting various places that held historical significance for the civil rights movement. Having spent my formative years and my first years of teaching in the South, that wouldn't have been particularly challenging. In this particular book, a young girl named Liberty, her friend Abdullah, their families and other riders take a bus trip to six important places in Mississippi, Tennessee, and Alabama, starting first in Jackson and concluding their pilgrimage in Selma. The illustrations show that the travelers are a diverse group who are on this journey for their own particular reasons, and the text includes several instances in which Liberty wants to know if they've reached their destination yet as children so often ask on long trips. For Liberty, the anticipated highlight is the Edmund Pettus Bridge, of course, and together, all of the travelers cross that bridge in homage to the march in 1965. At each stop on the journey, the adults on the bus share snippets of history with the youngsters, insuring that these important places and individuals will not be forgotten by the next generation. An Author's Note explains the importance of keeping history alive and how the author began planning trips like this one in real life. Back matter includes additional information about the six spots where the bus stops. Although I don't love the illustrations, they support the text and highlight the way the elders in the group are breaking things down for those younger ones. Adult readers might use this book as a starting place for planning their own civil rights tours or beginning conversations about civil rights and social justice and contextualize those events from the 1960s to current protests. Teachers, parents, and caregivers might do the same as most of the individuals involved in the movement are no longer alive even though their actions live on in legislation, Supreme Court rulings, and policy changes.

On the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, the author, Michael W. Waters took his family, including his young daughter Liberty, Imam Dr. Omar Suleiman and his family, including his young son [and Liberty's best friend] Abdullah and others [of multiple beliefs, and ethnic backgrounds], on a Civil Rights road trip that ended with them marching on the Edmund Pettus Bridge, together, in celebration and love and friendship. This book is the result of that trip, and what an absolutely beautiful book it is. It shows people discovery history together, small children learning about children close to their own ages that died during the Civil Rights Movement, and how important that time was and still is - we must continue to share this history so we do not doom ourselves to repeat it. That time was ugly and the lessons these travelers learned were not easy ones, but it was good for all of them to share in it.

This book [that is lovingly illustrated with true to life pictures and script] is a perfect stepping off point for younger children to learn about that time frame. It touches on different things that happened over the years without being graphic in the telling. Parents and caregivers will be able to embellish the story depending on the child's age and the more it is read, the more that child will learn about a important part of American's history. I think every parent and caregiver [and teachers] should be reading this book with their children and discussing this time in our history. It will be good for families to have these discussions and to learn from past mistakes and discuss how to move forward and not make them again. Very well done.

Thank you to Michael W. Waters, Nicole Tadgell [Illustrator], and Flyaway Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This beautiful picture book follows a young girl as her family takes a pilgrimage across the South stopping at 6 places that mark an event or person from the Civil Rights Movement. The author himself led such a pilgrimage to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of Dr. King's assassination. The picture book story itself gives a simple explanation of the importance of each stop, but there are several pages in the back of the book devoted to providing more detailed information about each stop. For example, the section in Glendaora, Mississippi at the cotton gin was mentioned as a place to remember Emmett Till who "inspired many others to stand up for the rights of Black people." At the back of the book, you do get more details about Emmett Till's murder, the acquittal of the murderers, and the national outrage.

The pictures, done with what looks like pastels and colored pencils, are expressive. The Civil Rights leaders' pictures are set apart in sepia and black and white. The story shows a diverse cast of characters which is important to the main message of the book. The postures of the cover picture do not seem as natural as all the other pictures in the book which draw you in. My favorite picture is of the main character Liberty with her older brother who has his arm lovingly over her shoulder as they look at the information at the cotton gin.

This book serves as a good starting point for a journey to learn about the Civil Rights movement.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book from Flyaway Books in exchange for an honest review. #LibertysCivilRightsRoadTrip

This absolutely beautiful book, inspired by a civil rights pilgrimage, follows Liberty and her friend Abdullah on an interfaith bus trip through landmarks of the civil rights movement
in the South. Scenes on the bus show the children’s friendship, play, and growing relationships with their diverse fellow passengers.
Tadgell's richly colored illustrations of each stop show us the solemnity of the group and the children taking comfort from their parents and fellow passengers. These are well balanced with paintings of Liberty and Abdullah’s playfulness and energy. The soft watercolors contrast with black and white inserts of the historical figures of each site.

The endnotes, More about places and people from Liberty’s travels, feature thumbnails of the illustrations and more detailed information about each stop, and website information for the Civil Rights Trail.
The author’s note provides background on the Southern Methodist University’s Civil Rights Pilgrimage he founded and the trip he led recently, which included his daughter Liberty and her friend Abdullah, the youngest of the group.

This is a stunning book with a unique approach to introducing the civil rights events that began our ongoing story of the struggle. While recommended for ages 3-7, I believe its appeal and usefulness extend far beyond that range. It is a powerful book for home libraries and gifts and ideal for an introduction to civil rights history; highly recommended for classroom and school libraries.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for this honest review

Liberty is a young girl who is on a civil rights road trip with her family. She visits Jackson, Mississippi to learn about Medgar Evers who worked towards voting rights for African Americans. She the visits Glendora, Mississippi and learns about the death of Emmett Till. She then visits the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee to learn about the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Next she visits the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama where four young girls were killed in a bombing. In Montgomery, Alabama she visits Dr. King’s home which still has a hole on the porch from a bombing. Finally, she visits Selma, Alabama and sees the bridge where many people marched for civil rights. Along the way, Liberty learns history and makes new friends.
At the end of the book there is a note from the author. Liberty is his daughter and he wants fo make sure that all generations connect with the events/ people in history who worked together to ensure equal rights for all.
This is a beautifully illustrated book which talks about history in a way that children can understand and relate to without getting overwhelmed by too much information that they will learn about as they get older. This would be a wonderful book to add to a classroom or home library to help introduce the civil rights movement to younger children.

Michael Waters strikes the right note as we join Liberty and her family on a trip to six key locations along the Civil Rights Trail. The characters and readers are introduced not only to the locations and events but also to the other members of the bus trip. The inclusion of a variety of ages, ethnicities, and families helps children realize that this is OUR history, not someone else's.

The story from a child's perspective recognizes the significance of people and events without being overwhelming, making it a good introduction for young readers. It also acknowledges that children are children and that they need the time and space to process things which sometimes occurs later as they play. This portrayal also makes the children realistic and facilitates their connection with the people they are learning about.

Illustrator Nicol Tadgell's illustrations help tell the tale through gentle, detailed paintings that convey emotions and relationships beautifully.

Thank you to flyaway books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Liberty and her friend Abdullah take a bus ride with their family. It was a bus ride to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination. It was inspired by a civil rights pilgrimage for faith leaders that the author led this this trip. Seeing the trip through his daughter’s eyes inspired him to write this book. The bus ride was filled with people of different colors.

The beautiful illustrations in this book shows an interfaith group of people of varying ages, sizes and skin color It’s an excellent reminder of how the South treated people who were not white. Along the ride, stops are made to recognize historical figures that did their part to help lead the way to civil rights for everyone. It is an accessible, introduction to successful civil rights events and inspirational people. In the back of the book is an author’s note and supplementary information. The book has a special and valuable outlook of history not seen in picture books.

Disclaimer: I received an arc of this book from the author/publisher from Netgalley. I wasn’t obligated to write a favorable review or any review at all. The opinions expressed are strictly my own.

Rating: 4⭐⭐⭐⭐!!!!!!!!!
Book: Liberty’s Civil Rights Road Trip
Release Date: RELEASES on October 12, 2021
Author: Michael W. Waters
Genre: Children's Fiction

Michael Waters is not only the author of this book but also the originator of the journey to witness the locations of the civil rights movement in real life. This story is told in the perspective of a young girl named Liberty. It shows the innocence of a child who knows most of the civil rights history and what they may think as they visit the real locations. This is a great book for children ages 6-12.

Thank you to @NetGalley and @FlyawayBooks for an advanced copy of @LibertysCivilRightsRoadTrip.

#LibertysCivilRightsRoadTrip #FlyawayBooks #NetGalley #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #AmazonReads #childrensfiction #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #teacher #educator #classroomreads #multiculturalinterest #representationmatters

I'm so in love with the concept of this book - from the physical journey of learning, to the diverse cast of characters that become closer and closer by the end - but I do wish there was a little more explanation at the trip destinations. Most of the time, the story just says "they learned more about it," rather than actually explaining what or who they're learning about. I think the Edmund Pettus Bridge was a good example of what to do. The father explains in a bit more detail what happened while still keeping it appropriate enough for young children to hear, but he also doesn't pull back on important details such as the police hurting people. The information in the back of the book is a very good start, but I think having all of that information in the story itself "translated" into a speech that children can understand is much more effective.

While I do wish there was more context, the art is gorgeous, and the writing style itself is very simple and easy to understand.

"Liberty's Civil Rights Road Trip" is a beautiful book filled with so much important history. It shows children the importance of serious civil rights events without it being too scary for the little ones. I'm heartbroken that some of the people Liberty and her family and friends paid respect to were not taught to me when I was a child. I'm thankful that this book educated me on new people that I should be grateful for that changed our world for the better. I look forward to looking up more of these people's stories and learning more information about how brave and strong they were and pass that information on to the young people in my life. I love how diverse the people on the road trip are. There are people from all backgrounds, races, and religions. It's wonderful to have an example for little ones of how we should be, loving each other no matter what.

Thank you Netgalley for providing this ebook for free. All opinions are my own.

This picture book was inspired by an actual Civil Rights road trip that the author took with his family and other faith leaders. He saw historical sites through the innocent eyes of his daughter and her friend, and wrote this book to reflect some of the experiences they had and the things that they learned. The illustrations are soft and expressive, and the text is informative without being way too wordy for a school-age audience.

This is great for elementary-aged kids who already have a basic understanding of the Civil Rights Movement and some of its main events and figures. If someone hasn't learned anything about this time period yet, this book will be too much at once without enough in-depth information, as the characters move from place to place, but this is great for kids who already know some about this time period and social movement and would like to learn more.

I received a temporary digital copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Liberty boards a bus with her friend Abdullah, their families, and other community members for a trip of historic places where important events in the civil rights movement occurred. The book takes us on a trip, highlighting those events but lacking a more developed story line. The trip is merely a method to tell about these historic events, in a very simplified manner. The narration didn’t always flow well, though the events were still communicated. The illustrations added to the book, with their combination of soft and bright colors and style. I appreciated that the people on the bus had much needed representation and that the bus was told from the point of view of a predominantly Black community. Overall, this is book I would grab off the library shelves to read with my.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was provided by Flyaway Books. Originally posted at Novel Obsession.

My review will be live on my blog on 12th October 2021 - publication day!

I really enjoyed this story and it was a great way for the road trip that was taken to be told and brought to life.

I liked that the end of the book too had a little focus on each of the places visited to show why they were so important and the acts that took place which ultimately helped to change history too. It also shows how far we have come in a lot of respects too – even if there is still quite a way to go too in some places and with some of the civil rights available

It is 5 stars from me for this one, a great conversations starter for children and a book that can be used to bring to light different topics for more discussions too

It was a wonderful book – very well written, it had some lovely illustrations and was a pleasure to read – very highly recommended!

Fall 2021 (September);
~ LibraryThing Arc

Thank you to Michael W. Waters, Nicole Tadgell, Flyaway Books, and LibraryThing for this advanced reader copy for an honest review.

As an avid reader, lover of books, English Professor, and aunt of several amazing nieces and nephews, I do delight in choosing children's books every once in a while to be a reviewer on. I love, love, love this book. I love the diversity in it displayed by those on the trip, and the charm/realism of how these adults and children are tracing their steps back through some of the most important events that were the path to Civil Rights.

I was very pleased to see there were pages in the back, after the story ending, breaking down even more historical facts and details about the events/people/places that the tour stopped on, so that children can be even more educated to the details of those times.

This book is great! I can definitely see using it as a starting point for discussions about civil rights and black history month with my Grade 3 students. The story follows a young girl named Liberty as she and her family, friends and others take a bus tour of some of the important historical locations related to the civil rights movement such as Martin Luther King Jr.‘s house. The story ends with an author’s note and a series of background information about the people and places mentioned in the book. Additionally, portraits of each or the people are included on the pages of the story in black and white so children can imagine the person while history is being discussed.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review an advance copy of this book! I look forward to purchasing a copy for my classroom library in the future!

Liberty and her family embark on this pilgrimage from Dallas to Mississippi, to Alabama, to Tennessee learning about the Civil Rights movement & how it had affected many, many people.
On this journey, we learn about Medgar Evers Dr. MLK Jr, Emmett Till, the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church bombing, and the e Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama.
Each place that traveled to, great brutalities were enacted and unfortunately, lives were lost. However, Liberty and her “cousin” Abdullah, turned these horrible places into hopeful ones. As children grow up, I pray they will continue to transform the brutal places in the world to places of love, hope, peace, and justice.
I was intrigued to hear and learn about the Sixteenth Street Baptist Street Bombing as I never even knew that it had happened.

A colorful picture book based on a real life road trip led by the author, Michael W. Waters, and including his daughter, Liberty. There are two things that really stand out to me about this book:

* I love that the text is age-appropriate. It touches on the story of historic places and people like Selma, Alabama, and Emmett Till, without getting into the gruesome details.
* And the illustrations are just amazing! The characters have different skin colors, ethnicities, and religions, but are united in their desire to learn more about America's history.

This isn't a silly, read-it-again-Mom kind of picture book, but it's one of those important, proud-to-add-to-your-bookshelf ones indeed!

Medgar Evers, Emmett Till, Dr. Martin Luther King, four young girls at a church in Alabama, the bridge in Selma-these evoke iconic images and memories of the Civil Rights movement. They are the places visited by Liberty and a diverse group of people in this book for kids.

The story is simply and honestly told and introduces why the people included were so important and why the places mentioned need to be remembered. Additional information is included at the end of the book.

I think that this title is very age appropriated and important. Read it with a child or in a classroom and begin to have those important and necessary conversations.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review ::

A beautifully written and illustrated book, Liberty's Civil Rights Road Trip is a perfect story to share the history of the Civil Rights movement with children. The main character Liberty is taking a trip with her family across the south to see several important places that were part of the civil rights story of this country; including the Lorraine Motel and the Edmond Pettus Bridge in Selma and several other locations. As Liberty learns about each place, she thinks about how each place impacts her own life today. The author does a fantastic job of writing in a child-friendly way without talking down to children. The illustrations are absolutely beautiful.

I would definitely recommend this book.

An excellent story for children (& adults will find this excellent too!).....telling of a road trip seeing places of civil rights importance. The nicely colored illustrations show a varied group of travelers learning about these especially important places. It's done in a very enlightening way, not done in a preachy manner....... all very comfortable learning about very important events in our nation's history. A great book for kids & adults, for all Americans, & done in a manner of speaking that everyone can enjoy & follow along. At the back of the book, they offer a bit more about each of the destinations on the trip/tour.
I received an e-ARC of the book from Flyaway Books via NetGalley, for review purposes...& these are my own fair/honest opinions.

Liberty and her family embark on this pilgrimage from Dallas to Mississippi, to Alabama, to Tennessee, learning about the Civil Rights movement and how it had affected many, many people.

On this journey, we learn about Medgar Evers, Dr. MLK Jr,, Emmett Till, the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church bombing, and the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama.

In each place they traveled to, great brutalities were enacted and, unfortunately, lives were lost.
However, Liberty and her “cousin” Abdullah turned these horrible places into hopeful ones.

As children grow up, I pray they will continue to transform the brutal places in the world to places of love, hope, peace and justice.

I was intrigued to hear and learn about the Sixteenth Street Baptist Street Bombing, as I never even knew that it had happened.

Liberty’s Civil Rights Road Trip by Michael W. Waters is a story full of important references to the Civil Rights Movement. Liberty is a young girl with her family who is on a bus tour of important places that help explain the significant events of the Civil Rights movement. Liberty’s family is joined by many others on this trip and Liberty has made friends with many of them. The stops the book made were a mixture of expected and unexpected and all were explained well. Liberty’s enthusiasm for the trip and her friends was one of the highlights of the book.

Liberty’s Civil Rights Road Trip by Michael W Waters was a good children’s book to read with multiple ages.

Pack up your bags! After reading this book, you will want to go on Liberty's Travels. This age appropriate book introduces children to the Civil Rights movement, including the people and places that were important. It is told in a straightforward, yet gentle way for children to understand. The back of the book has more information about each person and place mentioned, so you can do your own research on the topic.
I highly recommend this book to teaches and parents alike. It will be a good way to spark a discussion about Civil Rights.
I would like to thank the author, Flyaway Books and the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Liberty and her friend board a bus to go in the Civil Rights Road Trip with her family and other passengers. The road trip included stops in Jackson and Glendora, MS; Memphis, TN; and Birmingham, Montgomery, and Selma, AL, where Liberty learns about the important people who changed the course of history and ignited the Civil Rights movement. Through the course of the trip, Liberty learns about the acts of courage and significant people within the Civil Rights movement along her way. This is a great introduction and reminder for young readers.

**Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review**