Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, so we put together a stack of our favorite books that teach about the legacy of Dr. King. In our family these sparked difficult conversations about the unjust past and hopeful future of our country.
Martin’s Big Words by Doreen Rappaport and illustrated by Bryan Collier is a gorgeous overview of the life and impact of Dr. King. It focuses briefly on his experience as a child and moves into his work to bring equality to people of color, using lines from some of his most famous speeches. My 6 year old was able to understand some of the complexities of his work from the quotes and explanations, which were interesting conversations for us to have.
Paths to Peace by Jane Breskin Zalben is a book I’ve had for a while but waited to share with my kids until they were older because the text is a bit more complex. We read the page on Martin Luther King Jr. recently, and also explored a few of the other people featured in the book as well. The page-long biographies are backed by a beautiful background image as well.
My Brother Martin by Christine King Farris and illustrated by Chris Soentpiet highlights more of Dr. King’s childhood, as recalled by his sister, and the impact that their father had on the family, and on Dr. King in particular. It was fascinating to read about how his father’s lessons and they way he stood up for equality was a foundation upon which Dr. King relied as he also worked to bring equality to the nation.
The Bus Ride that Changed History by Pamela Duncan and illustrated by Danny Shanahan, while a book about Rosa Parks and her brave stand against Jim Crow laws, also features a page about the work that Dr. King was also doing at the time. My kids enjoyed hearing about how women were also involved in the movement, and the specific example of sitting where you wanted on a bus, which gave my city kids a point of reference for a Jim Crow law, was powerful.
Dream March: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the March on Washington by Vaunt Micheaux Nelson and illustrated by Sally Wern Comport was one we found in the library this week. My older kid is working on building her reading skills, so we were glad to find one that empowered her and looked like a big-kid-book. She loved this one so much that she brought it to a restaurant to read while she waited for her food (even though she could have been coloring!). Similar to the others, this book describes the work of Dr. King to move our nation closer to equality.