Bunchland

The New York Public Library and the District of Columbia Public Library’s Bunchbrary

We’ve bumped this week’s Bunchbrary up a day to include some great reads for Martin Luther King Day. Martin Luther King Day is a great opportunity to talk to your kids about racism, segregation and standing up for your rights.

Books for ages 4-8:

A Picture Book of Martin Luther King, Jr. by David A. Adler, illustrated by Robert Casilla
A brief, illustrated, biography of the Baptist minister and civil rights leader whose philosophy and practice of nonviolent civil disobedience helped American blacks win many battles for equal rights.

Martin Luther King by Rosemary L. Bray, paintings by Malcah Zeldis
Folk-art paintings enhance the text of this portrait of the courageous civil rights leader.

Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King by Jean Marzollo, illustrated by J. Brian Pinkney
Martin Luther King, Jr., had a dream of peace and equality. Because he worked so hard for freedom and helped so many people gain it, we honor him every year on his special day. This inspiring, beautifully illustrated biography gently teaches young readers about the life–and lessons–of this great man.

As Good as Anybody : Martin Luther King Jr. and Abraham Joshua Heschel’s Amazing March Toward Freedom by Richard Michelson, illustrated by Raul Colón
The story of two icons for social justice, how they formed a remarkable friendship and turned their personal experiences of discrimination into a message of love and equality for all.

I’ve Seen the Promised Land : The life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by Walter Dean Myers, illustrated by Leonard Jenkins
Pictures and easy-to-read text introduce the life of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Martin’s Big Words : The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by Doreen Rappaport, illustrated by Bryan Collier
A picture book biography introduces the ideas and accomplishments of a gifted and influential speaker by using some of his own words to tell the story.

My Uncle Martin’s Big Heart by Angela Farris Watkins, illustrated by Eric Velasquez
A young girl introduces readers to her uncle, Martin Luther King Jr., describing what he does and family moments they have shared.

March On!: The Day My Brother Martin Changed the World by Christine King Ferris, illustrated by London Ladd

Dr. King’s sister provides background about the organization of the March on Washington as well as insight into how King came up with that iconic the speech.

Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up By Sitting Down, by Andrea Davis Pinkney, illustrated by Neil Pinkney

Pinkney’s story explains the racially segregated world and the story of four friends who sat down at the Woolworth lunch counter in Greensboro, NC on February 1, 1960.

Books for ages 7-11:

Who Was Martin Luther King, Jr.? by Bonnie Bader, illustrated by Elizabeth Wolf
An introduction to the life Martin Luther King, Jr. Including how he organized the Montgomery Bus Boycott and African American people across the country in support of the right to vote, desegregation, and other basic civil rights.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day by Dana Meachen Rau

Introduces Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, explaining the historical events behind it, how it became a holiday, and how it is observed

Books for ages 9-12:

Martin Luther King, Jr. : A Dream of Hope by Alice Fleming
The pastor of a small Baptist church in Montgomery, Alabama, King became the driving force of the civil rights movement when he led a black boycott of the city’s bus lines. His philosophy of nonviolence, and his breathtaking eloquence, helped free African Americans from decades of oppression and finally won them the rights—and opportunities—they deserved.

The Beatitudes: From Slavery to Civil Rights, by Carole Boston Weatherford

Using the Gospel According to Matthew as a backdrop, Boston Weatherford traces the African-American journey from slavery through the Civil Rights Movement to the inauguration of Barack Obama.

Freedom Walkers: The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, by Russell Freedman

Freedman emphasizes the regular people and forgotten local crusaders working together to make the boycott possible and triumphant.

Cover of a Martin’s Big Words via Open Library