From School Library Journal
Grade 1-4-This eloquent picture book presents a brief overview of King's life and accomplishments. The text focuses on events beginning with the 1955 arrest of Rosa Parks and King's leadership during the yearlong boycott that eventually resulted in the integration of buses in Montgomery, AL. The book ends with his support of the striking sanitation workers in Memphis in 1968 and his assassination a few days later. In a clear and cogent manner, Myers frames King's political efforts and his belief in nonviolent demonstration for change with information about the personal consequences to the man and his family. The author also paraphrases some of his subject's most powerful speeches without quoting them directly. Jenkins's stunning collage artwork dramatically reflects the events described in the narrative. Information about how protestors were frequently assaulted is paired with an abstract street scene, the frighteningly toothy profile of a chalk-white guard dog front and center. In a spread depicting King's famous speech about seeing the promised land, he is shown with his arms gracefully yet compellingly uplifted; the power and beauty of his words are reflected in the brightly colored background, while fiery red tones foreshadow his murder. This book makes an excellent starting point to introduce young readers to King and should be coupled with Doreen Rappaport's Martin's Big Words(Hyperion, 2001), which so effectively provides access to the words that made him famous.-Susan M. Moore, Louisville Free Public Library, KY Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.


From Booklist
PreS-Gr. 3. Dr. Martin Luther King is perhaps the mostfrequently requested biography subject, so there's always room foranother book about the heroic leader, especially when it's apicture-book biography as good as this one. The focus here is on hispublic image, and words and art combine the essentials of his lifestory with an overview of the civil rights movement. Jenkins'dramatic, double-page collage illustrations set close-up portraits ofthe leader against crowd scenes of political marches and violentconflict. Then, after the glory of the March on Washington, there's adouble-page spread showing the horror of the Birmingham deaths. Thebook ends with King's assassination, but words and pictures show hisstrength and his enduring message against racism and for peace. Thisis for a younger audience than Myers and Jenkins' Malcolm X: AFire Burning Brightly (2000). There's also much less here about thesubject's personal struggle, but when read together, the two titleswill stimulate debate about issues of protest andnonviolence. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Book Description

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., is one of the most celebrated figures of the twentieth century. A crusader for nonviolent social justice, he led African Americans in their demands for equality through peaceful protests during one of the most tumultuous times in recent history.

Set against key moments in the civil rights movement, here is the story of the powerful, eloquent spiritual leader and his belief that nonviolence could be used to overcome racial discrimination.

Walter Dean Myers's moving narrative and Leonard Jenkins's compelling paintings portray a vivid and striking image of the man who moved American society closer to the ideals of freedom and fairness. Dr. King's dream that all Americans would be judged by their individual actions and character is one we still cherish today.


About the Author
Walter Dean Myers is the acclaimed author of Monster, the first winner of the Michael L. Printz Award, a National Book Award Finalist, Coretta Scott King Honor Book, and Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book; The Dream Bearer; Handbook for Boys; Bad Boy: A Memoir; and the Newbery Honor Books Scorpions and Somewhere in the Darkness. His picture books include Jane Addams Children#146;s Book Award winner Patrol: An American Soldier In Vietnam, illustrated by Ann Grifalconi; Dr. Martin Luther King: I#146;ve Seen The Promised Land and Malcolm X: A Fire Burning Brightly, illustrated by Leonard Jenkins; and Blues Journey and the Caldecott Honor Book Harlem: A Poem, both illustrated by Christopher Myers. He helped establish the Walter Dean Myers Publishing Institute, part of the Langston Hughes Children#146;s Literature Festival, and makes frequent appearances with the National Basketball Association#146;s "Read to Achieve" program. Mr. Myers lives with his family in Jersey City, New Jersey. In His Own Words... I am a product of Harlem and of the values, color, toughness and caring that I found there as a child. I learned my flat jump shot in the church basement and got my first kiss during recess at Bible school. I played the endless street games kids played in the pre-television days and paid enough attention to candy and junk food to dutifully alarm my mother. From my foster parents, the Deans, I received the love that was ultimately to strengthen me, even when I had forgotten its source. It was my foster mother, a half Indian-half German woman, who taught me to read, though she herself was barely literate. I had a speech difficulty but didn't view it as anything special. It wasn't necessary for me to be much of a social creature once I discovered books. Books took me, not so much to foreign lands and fanciful adventures, but to a place within myself that I have been constantly exploring ever since. The George Bruce Branch of the public Library was my most treasured place. I couldn't believe my luck in discovering what I enjoyed most -- reading -- was free. And I was tough enough to carry the books home through the streets without too many incidents. At sixteen it seemed a good idea to leave school, and so I did. On my seventeenth birthday I joined the army. After the army there were jobs -- some good, some bad, few worth mentioning. Leaving school seemed less like a good idea. Writing for me has been many things. It was a way to overcome the hindrance of speech problems as I tried to reach out to the world. It was a way of establishing my humanity in a world that often ignores the humanity of those in less favored positions. It was a way to make a few extra dollars when they were badly needed. What I want to do with the writing keeps changing, too. Perhaps I just get clearer in what it is I am doing. I'm sure that after I'm dead someone will lay it all out nicely. I'd hate to see what kind of biography my cat, Askia, would write about me. Probably something like "Walter Dean Myers had enormous feet, didn't feed me on time, and often sat in my favorite chair." At any rate, what I think I'm doing now is rediscovering the innocence of children that I once took for granted. I cannot relive it or reclaim it, but I can expose it and celebrate it in the books I write. I really like people -- I mean I really like people -- and children are some of the best people I know. I've always felt it a little pretentious to write about yourself, but it's not too bad if you don't write too much. -- Walter Dean Myers

ANNOTATION

Pictures and easy-to-read text introduce the life of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., is one of the most celebrated figures of the twentieth century. A crusader for nonviolent social justice, he led African Americans in their demands for equality through peaceful protests during one of the most tumultuous times in recent history.

Set against key moments in the civil rights movement, here is the story of the powerful, eloquent spiritual leader and his belief that nonviolence could be used to overcome racial discrimination.

Walter Dean Myers's moving narrative and Leonard Jenkins's compelling paintings portray a vivid and striking image of the man who moved American society closer to the ideals of freedom and fairness. Dr. King's dream that all Americans would be judged by their individual actions and character is one we still cherish today.

About the Author:

Walter Dean Myers is the acclaimed author of Monster, the first winner of the Michael L. Printz Award, a National Book Award Finalist, Coretta Scott King Honor Book, and Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book; The Dream Bearer; Handbook for Boys; Bad Boy: A Memoir; and the Newbery Honor Books Scorpions and Somewhere in the Darkness. His picture books include Jane Addams Children’s Book Award winner Patrol: An American Soldier In Vietnam, illustrated by Ann Grifalconi; Dr. Martin Luther King: I’ve Seen The Promised Land and Malcolm X: A Fire Burning Brightly, illustrated by Leonard Jenkins; and Blues Journey and the Caldecott Honor Book Harlem: A Poem, both illustrated by Christopher Myers. He helped establish the Walter Dean Myers Publishing Institute, part of theLangston Hughes Children’s Literature Festival, and makes frequent appearances with the National Basketball Association’s "Read to Achieve" program. Mr. Myers lives with his family in Jersey City, New Jersey. In His Own Words...

I am a product of Harlem and of the values, color, toughness and caring that I found there as a child. I learned my flat jump shot in the church basement and got my first kiss during recess at Bible school. I played the endless street games kids played in the pre-television days and paid enough attention to candy and junk food to dutifully alarm my mother.

From my foster parents, the Deans, I received the love that was ultimately to strengthen me, even when I had forgotten its source. It was my foster mother, a half Indian-half German woman, who taught me to read, though she herself was barely literate.

I had a speech difficulty but didn't view it as anything special. It wasn't necessary for me to be much of a social creature once I discovered books. Books took me, not so much to foreign lands and fanciful adventures, but to a place within myself that I have been constantly exploring ever since.

The George Bruce Branch of the public Library was my most treasured place. I couldn't believe my luck in discovering what I enjoyed most — reading — was free. And I was tough enough to carry the books home through the streets without too many incidents.

At sixteen it seemed a good idea to leave school, and so I did. On my seventeenth birthday I joined the army. After the army there were jobs — some good, some bad, few worth mentioning. Leaving school seemed less like a good idea.

Writing for me has been many things. It was a way to overcome the hindrance of speech problems as I tried to reach out to the world. It was a way of establishing my humanity in a world that often ignores the humanity of those in less favored positions. It was a way to make a few extra dollars when they were badly needed.

What I want to do with the writing keeps changing, too. Perhaps I just get clearer in what it is I am doing. I'm sure that after I'm dead someone will lay it all out nicely. I'd hate to see what kind of biography my cat, Askia, would write about me. Probably something like "Walter Dean Myers had enormous feet, didn't feed me on time, and often sat in my favorite chair." At any rate, what I think I'm doing now is rediscovering the innocence of children that I once took for granted. I cannot relive it or reclaim it, but I can expose it and celebrate it in the books I write. I really like people — I mean I really like people — and children are some of the best people I know.

I've always felt it a little pretentious to write about yourself, but it's not too bad if you don't write too much. — Walter Dean Myers

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Although in their Malcolm X: A Fire Burning Brightly Myers and Jenkins concentrated a great deal on Malcolm X's childhood, in this concise chronicle of Martin Luther King Jr.'s crusade for civil rights, they highlight the pivotal points in his work. They begin with his role as leader of the 1955 bus boycott in Montgomery, Ala., sparked by Rosa Parks's arrest after she refused to give up her seat to a white passenger. Mohandas Gandhi, Malcolm X and John F. Kennedy number among those whom the author cites as individuals who touched the life of this remarkable Nobel Peace Prize winner. Myers's balanced narrative touches upon King's triumphs (notably his renowned "I Have a Dream Speech," delivered during the 1963 March on Washington) as well as the hatred and brutality he endured during his lifetime. Jenkins's (A Good Night for Freedom, reviewed above) mixed-media paintings are involving but never graphic (he illustrates assault by fire hose and dogs, for instance, with an abstract painting of shadowy silhouettes of policemen and a dog tugging a piece of clothing). This picture book soars to the heart of King's mission, demonstrating the challenges of adhering to nonviolent methods when faced with so much violence in return. Jenkins's boldly hued illustrations capture lifelike renderings of King and other prominent figures while also incorporating backgrounds with a kaleidoscopic amalgam of shapes and symbols. Ages 5-8. (Jan.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Children's Literature - Diane Carver Sekeres

As in all Walter Dean Myers' books, his straightforward words compel the reader to attend. It is the violence of color and image in Jenkins' illustrations that adds a powerful depth to those words. Myers chooses to tell about the Montgomery bus boycott, jail, the March on Washington, Malcolm X's and John F. Kennedy's assassinations, and the final protest march in Memphis that ended a few days later in Dr. King's death. He writes not a biography as much as an exploration of whether Dr. King achieved his desires. Myers contrasts the violence against those who were struggling to obtain justice with Dr King's belief in nonviolence as a means of bringing the demands of justice to reality. The reader is left with uncertainty as to which prevailed. Unfortunately, reducing these events to a few pages creates the same problems that brief treatments in history texts do; for example, he writes that the bus boycott was in response to Mrs. Parks' arrest, creating a background for Dr. King's participation, though the boycott had long been planned and was awaiting the right opportunity to be put into action. Myers' and Jenkins' invitation to share Dr. King's vision of the promised land is certainly a book parents or teachers could share with children, but the readability and illustrations are more appropriate for older children. 2004, HarperCollins, Ages 5 to 8.

School Library Journal

Gr 1-4-This eloquent picture book presents a brief overview of King's life and accomplishments. The text focuses on events beginning with the 1955 arrest of Rosa Parks and King's leadership during the yearlong boycott that eventually resulted in the integration of buses in Montgomery, AL. The book ends with his support of the striking sanitation workers in Memphis in 1968 and his assassination a few days later. In a clear and cogent manner, Myers frames King's political efforts and his belief in nonviolent demonstration for change with information about the personal consequences to the man and his family. The author also paraphrases some of his subject's most powerful speeches without quoting them directly. Jenkins's stunning collage artwork dramatically reflects the events described in the narrative. Information about how protestors were frequently assaulted is paired with an abstract street scene, the frighteningly toothy profile of a chalk-white guard dog front and center. In a spread depicting King's famous speech about seeing the promised land, he is shown with his arms gracefully yet compellingly uplifted; the power and beauty of his words are reflected in the brightly colored background, while fiery red tones foreshadow his murder. This book makes an excellent starting point to introduce young readers to King and should be coupled with Doreen Rappaport's Martin's Big Words (Hyperion, 2001), which so effectively provides access to the words that made him famous.-Susan M. Moore, Louisville Free Public Library, KY Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews