Parents' Guide to

March On! The Day My Brother Martin Changed the World

By Sandie Angulo Chen, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 4+

Powerful, kid-friendly intro to black history stories.

Movie NR 2010 69 minutes
March On! The Day My Brother Martin Changed the World Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

age 9+

Based on 3 parent reviews

age 6+

See the light! The flag IS appropriate!

In Martin Luther King Jrs words "Darkness cannot drive out darkness. Only light can do that. Hatred cannot drive out hatred. Only love can do that" The flag is soo appropriate!

This title has:

Educational value
Great messages
Great role models
age 4+

perfect for my kids

its good

This title has:

Educational value

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (3):
Kids say: Not yet rated

This collection manages to explain how black people were treated unequally in a way even preschoolers should understand on a basic level. Those unfamiliar with Scholastic's Storybook Treasures series should be aware that these are animated adaptations of books; they're old-school narrations (often by the authors themselves or celebrities, in this case Lynn Whitfield, Michael Clarke Duncan, and writer Nikki Giovanni) accompanied by the books' illustrations and some historical photographs. That said, the March On! collection is a perfect introduction to the civil rights movement and black history for young kids. The four easy-to-follow stories all depict a time in American history when African Americas were treated either as chattel or second-class citizens -- not exactly simple concepts for children to grasp.

Hearing about the pivotal "I Have a Dream" speech from the perspective of King's sister, or about Rosa Parks' day before she fatefully sat on that Montgomery bus, or how a slave, despondent over the loss of his sold wife and children, overcame his grief to mail himself to freedom, is important for kids and their parents. Entertaining and educational, this DVD will teach children and remind adults of the sacrifices so many individuals have made for the cause of freedom -- from slavery and inequality.

Movie Details

Inclusion information powered by

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 suggesting a diversity 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