I’ve been posting this quote from Coretta Scott King, wife of Martin Luther King, Jr., every year at this time, but I think it bears repeating. Mrs. King was speaking at Lambda Legal’s 25th Anniversary Luncheon in 1998:
As Martin once said, ‘We are all tied together in a single garment of destiny… an inescapable network of mutuality… I can never be what I ought to be until you are allowed to be what you ought to be.’
Therefore, I appeal to everyone who believes in Martin Luther King, Jr.’s dream to make room at the table of brother and sisterhood for lesbian and gay people.
After the jump, a number of books for young children about Dr. King. What struck me most about these books was the quality of the illustrations, consistently a notch above the average in children’s literature, and a fitting tribute to their subject.
Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King Jr., by Jean Marzollo is one of the few books geared for the preschool age group. As such, it is very simplified, but still manages to convey a sense of why we celebrate Dr. King’s life. A forward gives suggestions on how to explain his death in age-appropriate ways. The oil pastel and scratchboard illustrations by Brian Pinkney are full of feeling.
Martin’s Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., by Doreen Rappaport, aims at children a few years older. It’s a little more in depth, and doesn’t shirk from explaining that the civil rights marchers “were jailed and beaten and murdered.” It’s notable for the large-font quotations from Dr. King throughout the text. Bryan Collier’s watercolor and collage illustrations are evocative and dramatic. Both Collier and Rappaport received Coretta Scott King Book Award honors for previous works.
My Dream of Martin Luther King by Caldecott Honor winner Faith Ringgold has also gotten excellent reviews for this age group, but I have not had the opportunity to read it myself.
I’ve Seen the Promised Land: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by another Coretta Scott King Award-winning author, Walter Dean Myers, is a little more text heavy, probably best for the older elementary ages. Leonard Jenkins keeps up the run of excellent artwork with his vivid paintings.
I Have A Dream contains the text of Dr. King’s most famous speech, with illustrations by 15 Coretta Scott King Award-winning artists. The book shows us how emotional words can translate into emotional pictures. Each of the artists also explains his or her approach to the project. The pictures should appeal to young children of all ages, especially those who have read one or more of the titles above. Older children may want to delve into the text itself.
This is not a comprehensive list. Please feel free to add your own recommendations in the comments.
I am a member of the Amazon Associates program, and get a small referral fee from all purchases made at Amazon.com via links on this site. You are under no obligation to purchase through them.
