Common Sense Media Review
By Regan McMahon
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Life lessons in MLK speech transform into uplifting poetry.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 7+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
THE DREAM BUILDER'S BLUEPRINT begins with the author recounting how Martin Luther King Jr. gave a speech to junior high school students in Philadelphia in 1967. She then explains what an "erasure poem" is and describes how she took 277 words from that speech and erased 1,488 other words to create a poem that highlights King's themes, beliefs, and advice for kids. She uses the construction metaphor of a blueprint to inspire kids to plan and build a productive, meaningful life and make the world and their nation better.
Is It Any Good?
This inspiring poem transforms Martin Luther King Jr.'s nearly 60-year-old speech into an urgent call for young people to study, work hard, dream big, and fight for justice and freedom. The Dream Builder's Blueprint pares down the longer speech into succinct pieces of advice with easy-to-grasp metaphors. "As years unfold, young friends, doors of opportunity are opening. The challenge is to be ready as they open," King says on a dreamy two-page spread filled with illustrator E.B. Lewis' doors and keys floating in a pale blue sky. On page after page, Lewis amplifies King's concepts with clever images, including a graduate in mortarboard clutching a diploma at the top of a high mountain; crumpled up paper discards below a neat pile of completed pages on a spread suggesting students "Study ... Burn the midnight oil"; and a dazzling spread of two Black women and a young Black girl trudging through a cotton field where white puffs rise up and become sparkling stars in the sky. Author Alice Faye Duncan's poetic "erasure" technique and Lewis' impressionistic gouache, marker, and tissue paper illustrations artfully bring King's powerful message to a new generation of young readers.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the messages in The Dream Builder's Blueprint. What do you think of Martin Luther King Jr.'s advice for kids?
Which piece of advice do you think you could start acting on right away?
How much do you know about Martin Luther King Jr.? Why is he seen as a role model of courage, perseverance, and communication? Why are these important character strengths in a leader?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : E.B. Lewis
- Genre : Picture Book
- Topics : Activism ( Racial justice , Civic engagement ) , History
- Character Strengths : Communication , Compassion , Courage , Integrity , Perseverance , Teamwork
- Book type : Non-Fiction
- Publisher : Calkins Creek
- Publication date : October 6, 2026
- Number of pages : 32
- Available on : Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : June 29, 2026
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate