Martin Luther King, Black History Month
This week as a nation we celebrate the life, work, and words of Martin Luther King. We celebrate his courage to have a dream of justice for all. Until the moment of his death, he maintained the ideal that only when all people are free from fear to learn, to speak, to work, only then are we as a a nation, all truly free.
An essential part of this freedom is having books that celebrate every child’s story. All children need to read their stories in books. Likewise, children grow in awareness and compassion reading the stories of others in books.
This month on ReaderKidZ we celebrate favorite books and exciting new books. This week I invite you to share with us a favorite book that celebrates the diversity of our country, the ideals of Martin Luther King.
I begin with a few of mine.
The author, Walter Dean Myers, died this year. How he devoured books as a kid. Books were his solace as a misfit “bad kid.” He gave to us a treasure of over 100 books. Years ago I read the young adult novel MONSTER and still think about it … or his YA SUNRISE OVER FALLUJAH… or any of his picture books (such as BROWN ANGELS or I’VE SEEN THE PROMISED LAND: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.) nonfiction, or novels, winners of so many awards, including the Newbery and Printz.
For middle grade readers I recommend, BAD BOY, a memoir of his struggle to figure out who he was and who he wanted to be. Such a classic for any struggling preteen.
For readers of all ages, I recommend the poetry of Eloise Greenfield, beginning with HONEY, I LOVE.
“Love don’t mean all that kissing
Like on television
Love means Daddy
Saying keep your mama company till I get back
And me doing it”
Leave a comment and tell us about a few of your favorite books. For descriptions of dozens of great books, take a look at this resource: http://thebrownbookshelf.com . Enjoy exploring the amazing variety and depth of books written by and about African Americans. Enjoy our freedom to read.
