Title: My Brother Martin
Author: Christine King Farris
Illustrator: Chris Soentpiet
Genre: Biography
Characters: Martin Luther King, Jr. (M.L.), his sister Christine, his brother Alfred Daniel (A.D.), and their family members
Summary of Book: This is the story of the childhood of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his siblings told by his sister, Christine. It includes charming and inspiring family anecdotes and stories about their upbringing in Atlanta. The book emphasizes the influence that their parents and grandparents had on the children. Inspiring and hopeful messages were embodied in the King family during their childhood. The story ends with a foreshadowing of Dr. King's influence on American society and his famous "I have a dream" speech.
Comments: The underlying message of Dr. King's greatness is never far from this text. But the endearing story and beautiful pictures paint a concrete picture of MLK's childhood. Children can relate to his antics, playfulness, and everyday life. The main idea in My Brother Martin is that great people who contribute to our society were all once children. The book is lovingly narrated by his sister with a firsthand truthfulness that is missing from other stories about his life. This book addresses important issues like segregation and racism without being trite.
Age level: This story will interest preschoolers and older children, the text is somewhat sophisticated and about third-grade level
3 comments:
511This book is very informative and offers a different perspective from his sister. The children are really engaged in this book right from the start because it is written by his sister.
I have this book and my students really pay attention when I read it to them. They ask questions and want to know more. Sometimes it's hard to find books that will really help children understand the life of Martin Luther King. I do like that the book is written by his sister becuase it offers a different perspective.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/04/03/mlk.sister/index.html
Here's an interesting article about the author, Christine King Farris. She's writing a memoir about her brother. I find it quite touching that she wrote the children's book about him first. She's almost 80 years old.
Post a Comment