I Am Martin Luther King, Jr.: Ordinary People Change the World
By Regan McMahon,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Kid-friendly bio a strong, accessible intro to King's life.
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What's the Story?
I AM MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.: ORDINARY PEOPLE CHANGE THE WORLD traces King's life from his boyhood in Georgia, where he's stopped from playing with a white friend and can't be served ice cream at the white soda fountain or go to the white amusement park or school. But he loves books and "big words," which he gets to use first as a minister and then as a leader in the civil rights movements where his speeches motivate African-Americans to stand up for their rights and march against injustice. The book succinctly covers the most famous protests he led, and the final two pages include a biographical and civil rights movement time line, as well as black-and-white photos of King and his family and the March on Washington.
Is It Any Good?
The lively style and kid's-eye view of history as it happened make this brief first-person biography engaging and accessible to young readers. Kids who wonder what life in the segregated South was like or why there's a holiday in King's name will get a better understanding of both from this visually appealing book.
Illustrator Christopher Eliopoulos' cartoony style and comics-like layout, complete with speech balloons, make it easy to read, even though it deals with serious issues and complex history.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Martin Luther King. Jr. What did you learn from this book that you didn't know about him or what he did?
What do you think about how the illustrator pictures King as a small kid with a mustache and dressed as his grown-up self?
How different is life in your town and at your school compared with what life was like for young Martin in his town?
Book Details
- Author: Brad Meltzer
- Illustrator: Christopher Eliopoulos
- Genre: Biography
- Topics: Activism, Brothers and Sisters, Great Boy Role Models, History
- Book type: Non-Fiction
- Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers
- Publication date: January 5, 2016
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 5 - 8
- Number of pages: 40
- Available on: Hardback, Kindle
- Last updated: July 13, 2017
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