Opening the Road — Alleanna Harris

Opening the Road:
Victor Hugo and His Green Book

Written by Keila V. Dawson
Published by Beaming Books
Published on January 26, 2021
ISBN: 9781506467917

The cover of Opening the Road, written by Keila V. Dawson and illustrated by Alleanna Harris. Victor Hugo Green holds a Green Book as he stands next to a green car.

"Hungry? Check the Green Book. Tired? Check the Green Book. Sick? Check the Green Book."

In the late 1930s when segregation was legal and Black Americans couldn't visit every establishment or travel everywhere they wanted to safely, a New Yorker named Victor Hugo Green decided to do something about it. Green wrote and published a guide that listed places where his fellow Black Americans could be safe in New York City. The guide sold like hot cakes! Soon customers started asking Green to make a guide to help them travel and vacation safely across the nation too. With the help of his mail carrier co-workers and the African American business community, Green's guide allowed millions of African Americans to travel safely and enjoy traveling across the nation.

In the first picture book about the creation and distribution of The Green Book, author Keila Dawson and illustrator Alleanna Harris tell the story of the man behind it and how this travel guide opened the road for a safer, more equitable America.

Sneak Peek

Victor Hugo Green, a Black mail carrier, takes notes as he talks to a man in the neighborhood. From Opening the Road, written by Keila V. Dawson and illustrated by Alleanna Harris.

An illustration of the Negro Motorist Green Book. From Opening the Road, written by Keila V. Dawson and illustrated by Alleanna Harris.

A Black family with a car full of their belongings drives past a segregated highway cafe. From Opening the Road, written by Keila V. Dawson and illustrated by Alleanna Harris.

A Black couple reads the Green Book as they lean on their blue car parked on the side of the highway. Their three kids sit in the car and watch. From Opening the Road, written by Keila V. Dawson and illustrated by Alleanna Harris.

Choose to Read Ohio Booklist, 2025

Louisiana Readers' Choice Award, Nominee, 2023-2024

Ohioana Book Award, Finalist, 2022

Best Children's Books of the Year, Starred/Outstanding Merit
Bank Street College of Education, 2022

Jane Addams Book Award, Finalist, 2021

Best Books for Kids, New York Public Library, 2021

Noteworthy Books for Young Readers
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, 2021

Awards and Lists for Opening the Road

"In Opening the Road, author Keila Dawson opens children's eyes to the dangers of segregation and the power of the human spirit to resist and find detours around injustice."
- Nancy Churnin, award-winning author of Mahnji Moves a Mountain and The William Hoy Story
"Opening the Road is a story of resilience in the Black American tradition of 'making a way out of no way' -that is challenging the limits of racism through ingenuity, community, and hope."
- Veronica Miller-Jamison, illustrator of A Computer Called Katherine

"This intricately illustrated and inspiring book reveals the courageous spirit of Victor Hugo Green and reminds us that within us all lies the power to change the world."
- Oge Mora, author and illustrator of Thank You, Omu; Saturday; and The Oldest Student

"This road trip into history detailing Victor Green's efforts to bypass racial discrimination when traveling is a welcome companion to the stories of Rosa Parks.”
- Beth Anderson, author of Lizzie Demands a Seat and An Inconvenient Alphabet