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annaeap's review
5.0
With poetic prose, this book traces the lives of Martin Luther King, Jr., and Mahalia Jackson, and it details how his words and her voice combined to advance the Civil Rights Movement. The narrative culminates with the March on Washington, and the poetic story is followed by informational and historical text about the lives of each, as well as a timeline of events. Illustrator Brian Pinkney writes of his illustrations, “In rendering the paintings for Martin & Mahalia, I drew on the tradition of civil rights and spirituals coming together to form a mighty force. The watercolors I have created for this book are intended to give visual resonance to the collaborative strength brought forth in Martin’s oratory and Mahalia’s musical prowess.” He typically represents Mahalia’s pages in warmer colors and Martin’s in cooler, blending them together when they begin to collaborate.
Using the book for teaching/learning:
-“People from all over the nation gathered and began to make their way toward Washington D.C. They traveled on foot, by bus, and on bikes.” This would likely be more of a math project, but I would love to see students undertake a project to find out how far that would be from various points of the country using various methods of transportation. In conceptualizing the distance traveled, I believe students would have a greater appreciation for the convictions that drove people to make these journeys.
-Play Mahalia Jackson’s songs (along with others from the March on Washington). Have students create their own songs or poems inspired by the Civil Rights Movement that incorporates things they have learned from the book/unit.
Considerations for use with dual-language learners: This book would be difficult for DLLs; like music, the watercolor pictures evoke movement and feeling but do not necessarily tell a clear picture. For DLLs, I would print lyrics to Mahalia’s songs in English and Spanish (or another home language). This would help them understand the meaning behind her powerful voice. Moreover, for children who come from non-Christian backgrounds, we may need to first explore what “gospel” means, as the book makes many mentions of MLK and Mahalia’s “gift of the gospel.”
Using the book for teaching/learning:
-“People from all over the nation gathered and began to make their way toward Washington D.C. They traveled on foot, by bus, and on bikes.” This would likely be more of a math project, but I would love to see students undertake a project to find out how far that would be from various points of the country using various methods of transportation. In conceptualizing the distance traveled, I believe students would have a greater appreciation for the convictions that drove people to make these journeys.
-Play Mahalia Jackson’s songs (along with others from the March on Washington). Have students create their own songs or poems inspired by the Civil Rights Movement that incorporates things they have learned from the book/unit.
Considerations for use with dual-language learners: This book would be difficult for DLLs; like music, the watercolor pictures evoke movement and feeling but do not necessarily tell a clear picture. For DLLs, I would print lyrics to Mahalia’s songs in English and Spanish (or another home language). This would help them understand the meaning behind her powerful voice. Moreover, for children who come from non-Christian backgrounds, we may need to first explore what “gospel” means, as the book makes many mentions of MLK and Mahalia’s “gift of the gospel.”
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