THE BUS RIDE THAT CHANGED HISTORY

This telling of one of the most consequential episodes in U.S. civil-rights history is aimed at the youngest of readers, but it suffers from its clunky, House-That-Jack-Built–patterned narrative. More compelling is the Greek chorus of playground pals—a diverse group of miniature boys and girls—who float in the foreground of each loose, watercolor cartoon illustration, explaining and reacting to the larger-pictured action with modern-day understanding. An introduction, if children read it, may give just enough background to avoid referential confusion on the very first page: “This is a law forbidding / black people to sit next to white people on buses, / which was overturned because one woman was brave.” (No law is stated.) Includes a seven-sentence author’s note, a simple, 14-point timeline of Parks’s life and a black-and-white photo of Parks. (Picture book/nonfiction. 6-9)