This week’s story is Martin’s Big Words by Doreen Rappaport and illustrated by Bryan Collier. The story starts out in the segregated South with a young Martin Luther King confronted by “white only” signs and being comforted by his mother with the words “you are as good as anyone.” It chronicles his leading role in the Civil Rights Movement and his radical commitment to non-violence, social justice and love. The story does not shy away from white violence toward Black people and that King was assassinated, so be prepared to answer hard questions and talk with your children about difficult issues. Rappaport uses King’s own words to tell the story, and Bryan Collier’s collages are both immediate with emotional impact and brimming with implicit, deeper cultural meanings.
Check out Bryan Collier’s website http://www.bryancollier.com/
and a great list of children’s picture books about Martin Luther King http://www.pbs.org/parents/adventures-in-learning/2015/01/books-martin-luther-king-jr-day/