In honor of a great man who changed the world, here are five great books for kids about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. along with interesting facts!
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Sometimes we take certain things for granted. Like when we know there's a long weekend approaching, the focus becomes about the upcoming day off.
We welcome the break from the the intensity of life, enjoy making plans to go out, shop, get caught up with household chores or just kick back and relax with a good book.
Even though we remember the reason behind this extra day in our weekend, I think sometimes we need to give it more than just a sidelong thought.
Martin Luther King, Jr.'s contributions have been acknowledged throughout the world. This artwork is based on a stamp that was originally from Samoa.
It's important to acknowledge a person that truly changed the way others thought. It takes a remarkable individual to do that and we want to make sure that we honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with this post.
5 Kids Books that Highlight Martin Luther King Jr.'s life, Contributions and Impact on the Future!
1. Martin's Big Words
by Doreen Rappaport and illustrated by Bryan Collier
Martin's Big Words offers readers a look at this great man's life through a picture book biography.
The illustrations in this book are outstanding! We both really enjoyed looking through and reading this remarkable book; it belongs on every bookshelf for sure!
Martin's Big Words is a perfect book to teach kids about what was going on during this time in history and is told through the quotes of different speeches by Martin Luther King Jr..
by Doreen Rappaport and illustrated by Bryan Collier
This award-winning book includes a CD with Martin Luther King Jr.'s original "I Have a Dream" speech!
by Denise Lewis Patrick
American Girl's Beforever girl, Melody and her stories are a great way for readers to learn more about and connect with the past!
by Brad Meltzer and illustrated by Christopher Eliopoulos
I am Martin Luther King, Jr. is a wonderful biography with engaging illustrations, photographs and a timeline which make this book very relatable for younger readers!
by Bonnie Bader - An American Girl Book
The March on Washington features full page illustrations, historical photos, maps, timelines and more which makes this American Girl book a great reader experience!
5 Interesting Facts About Martin Luther King, Jr.
Did you know...?
1. Martin Luther King, Jr. was the youngest man to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize!
He was 35 when he was awarded the prize in 1964.
2. King skipped several grades in school and started college when he was only 15 years old!
It's hard to believe that Martin Luther King Jr. once received a 'C' in Public Speaking!
3. Martin Luther King, Jr. Was a Fan of Star Trek!
Martin Luther King convinced Nichelle Nichols- the actress who played Uhura- to stay on the show.
She was planning on leaving the show in favor of a part on Broadway. Nichols met Martin Luther King Jr. by chance at a fundraiser, and he convinced her of the importance of being in a lead role which was unrelated to race.
Star Trek was also the only show he allowed his children to stay up late to watch!
4. More than 730 streets in the United States are named after Martin Luther King, Jr.!
5. Martin Luther King's favorite food was Pecan Pie!
Martin Luther King Jr. was from the south and enjoyed many of the traditional southern dishes.
If you're in the mood to make some Pecan Pie, here is a traditional recipe to try!
This American Girl and Amazon Original Special is another way to take a look back in time and see what was happening during 1963!
American Girl fans will be delighted to watch Melody's adventures come to life!
Well, I hope you've enjoyed finding out a little bit more about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr..
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Enjoy!
April
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*This post has been updated on 1/13/2023. It was originally published on January 20, 2020.