The World Turned Upside Down II: Books on Martin Luther King, Jr., for Middle Readers

Although the title of David A. Adler's A Picture Book of Martin Luther King, Jr. (Picture Book Biography) suggests that it is a picture book, its text is closer to that of a beginning chapter book (at Accelerated Reader Level 3.8) and its illustrations are less than full-page style, placing it in a transitional position. It is short enough to read aloud to a group in less than a quarter hour, with illustrations large enough for a group to share, but it covers King's life chronologically from birth to death rather than focusing upon a few key episodes as do most true picture books. Adler includes the familiar childhood events that shaped King's life, but also discusses his preschool ability to read and entrance into college at age 16, the significance of his choice to return as a pastor to the deep South as the best path to helping his people, and the influence of his non-violent philosophy upon the early Civil Rights Movement, focusing especially upon the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the March on Washington. Because of its excellent illustrations and engaging overview of King's life, Adler's book is an excellent beginning point for observances of the holiday for the early elementary grades.

For an excellent "you-are-there" experience of the March on Washington and the significance of the "I Have a Dream" speech, Stephen Marchesi's Martin Luther King, Jr. and the March on Washington (All Aboard Reading) (Grosset & Dunlap, 2001) provides a stirring narrative of the event coupled with black-and-white period photos and color illustrations. Marchesi's exposition and historical interpretation of King's pivotal speech give the beginning chapter reader an understanding of the historical setting and profound influence which the March on Washington had on the nation.

Margaret Davidson's I Have A Dream: The Story Of Martin Luther King (Scholastic Biography) has as its strong point her attention to events in Martin Luther King's formative years which led him to his personal philosophy of non-violent civil disobedience to bring about change. She begins with the familiar incident in which Martin's neighbor turned him away from the door when, as a six-year-old, he went to fetch his best friends to play ball with him and his brother.

"It was all right for you to play together when you were younger," she says. "But now you're all in school, so it's best that you go your separate ways."

"Why?" whispered Martin.

"Because you're colored and we're white." Then she shut the door.

Davidson also includes King's thoughts on his first experience with a bi-racial discussion group as a teen-aged college student. At first, she reports, King was angry with whites as a group, but after getting to know white students in this discussion club, he wrote,

"My anger softened. I began to see that they weren't the enemy. The evil was segregation."

This short biography offers young readers insight into the early experiences King had as a young person which led to great changes for the nation.

For somewhat older students than the books listed above, Amy Pastan's Martin Luther King, Jr. (DK Biography) (DK Publishing, 2004) offers very good coverage of the basic facts and themes of King's life, liberally illustrated with photos on most pages in DK's trademark spot-art style. A real bonus for Pastan's book is the generous back matter in this biography, including an illustrated timeline of life events, a full bibliography, a list of "works cited," and a recommended reading list titled "For Further Study" for those middle-grade students who may be using this book as a source for reports.