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Be a King: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Dream and You by Carole Boston Weatherford, James E. Ransome
kelleemoye's review against another edition
5.0
I am so happy that a book like this exists! It makes a beautiful connection between King’s history and how the same concepts can (and should!) drive us today. The book is very young kid friendly and is a great scaffold to talk about Dr. King or about kindness; however, it could also be used with older kids to infer and go deeper into the lyrical language Weatherford uses. I also loved how Ransome’s illustrations changed between King’s biography and the more contemporary school narrative.
P.S. As a teacher and a person who believes in kindness and equity and acceptance and friendship, I am so happy to see conversations like this happening so freely now! My students and I speak about injustice and prejudice and equity so often now when it would have been a stigma just a few years ago to even mention race or other social justice issues. It is important to talk about race in a non-prejudicial way with children to allow them to learn and grown and reflect. Sadly, it has been through horrific injustices that has gotten us to this point, but hopefully with our future generations having these types of conversations starting at such a young age, these injustices will stop.
Full review with teaching tools: http://www.unleashingreaders.com/?p=16167
P.S. As a teacher and a person who believes in kindness and equity and acceptance and friendship, I am so happy to see conversations like this happening so freely now! My students and I speak about injustice and prejudice and equity so often now when it would have been a stigma just a few years ago to even mention race or other social justice issues. It is important to talk about race in a non-prejudicial way with children to allow them to learn and grown and reflect. Sadly, it has been through horrific injustices that has gotten us to this point, but hopefully with our future generations having these types of conversations starting at such a young age, these injustices will stop.
Full review with teaching tools: http://www.unleashingreaders.com/?p=16167
rikkir77's review against another edition
3.0
Good, short book but the words are very high level. Too difficult for younger grades to understand and too short to really keep upper elementary students interested.
mindfullibrarian's review against another edition
5.0
Required purchase for school libraries! This picture book is a fabulous testament to Dr. King's character and legacy, giving examples of how children can "Be a King" through different actions that spread kindness and build a better world. Examples include statements such as:
"Know that bigotry hurts. Remember how you felt when treated unfairly" and "Break the chains of ignorance. Learn as much as you can."
Page spreads have only 3 lines of text, but with such a powerful message, this title can be used in classrooms of all ages with differing levels of discussion. It would also be a fabulous title to have on home bookshelves to read as a family and discuss character and doing the right thing.
Thank you to Bloomsbury Kids for the advance review copy of this title.
"Know that bigotry hurts. Remember how you felt when treated unfairly" and "Break the chains of ignorance. Learn as much as you can."
Page spreads have only 3 lines of text, but with such a powerful message, this title can be used in classrooms of all ages with differing levels of discussion. It would also be a fabulous title to have on home bookshelves to read as a family and discuss character and doing the right thing.
Thank you to Bloomsbury Kids for the advance review copy of this title.
readingthroughtheages's review against another edition
5.0
Powerful book - takes pieces of Dr. King's speech and life and looks at what it means throughout generations including today. Wonderful discussions will happen while reading this one.
allen_h's review against another edition
4.0
Practical suggestions for all people with historical references at the end.
antlersantlers's review against another edition
4.0
Carole Boston Weatherford writes a simplified version of Dr. King's message, in text that would work very well in a story time for younger kids. The illustrations use different styles to go back and forth between King's life and a modern scene of children painting a mural honoring him and applying his message of peace. It's not flawless, but it is lovely and powerful. I think the book would be great for an under-the-radar social justice inspired story time, because there are definitely echoes of the current youth movement and I would love to see this read aloud beyond the token February story times.
katieckb's review against another edition
3.0
A nice book about how it doesn’t take much to lead life following Martin Luther King’s ideals. I felt it ended a bit abruptly.
fantisian's review against another edition
4.0
Children would be able to understand most of the content via the illustrations. The text elicits feelings that children can identify with. There are strong statements about actions children should take. Teaches children about responsibility, accepting ownership for their actions, taking a peaceful approach to adversity, the importance of belief and unity. Author's note has notable moments of Dr. King's life and legacy.