Let's Celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

February 1, 2014

Gr 2-4-These basic titles provide simple explanations of the featured holidays and include informative photos and illustrations. The first book includes important events from the civil rights hero's life, starting with his youth and continuing through his years as a preacher and leader striving for equality among all races. A mixture of informative, archival, photos and chalky illustrations appear throughout the pages. Thanksgiving Day introduces important people, such as Chief Massasoit of the Wampanoag, Samoset, Squanto, William Bradford, and many others, explaining their roles in building peace between the settlers and Native Americans. The early hardships of the Pilgrims are stressed. By the spring, nearly half of them had died, and those who survived were able to build houses, grow crops, and start new lives with the assistance of the Native Americans. Stock photos, reproductions, and colored illustrations enhance the text. Unfortunately, there aren't any indexes, bibliographies, or back matter that would make these titles useful to report writers.-Sandra Welzenbach, Villarreal Elementary School, San Antonio, TX

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2013
Grades 1-3 The Holidays & Heroes series commemorates the influential figures behind important American celebrations. Written with emerging readers in mind, this volume emphasizes the importance of lofty ambitions and fortitude in the face of adversity. Context for King's experiences is set with a brief description of the nature of antebellum slavery, Jim Crow laws, and segregation. King's youth and education, his family life, and his activism are all chronicled in detail. Narrative text is punctuated by repetitive free-form poetry that would lend itself well to reading aloud. A mix of full-color illustrations and period black-and-white photographs of the events described facilitates comprehension and encourages discussion. The brief description of King's assassination is frank but age-appropriate. This reader-friendly nonfiction may inspire further inquiry into the life of an important figure in American history and may encourage kids to be mindful of King's ideals of fairness and equality, not only on the third Monday of each January but all year round.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)