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Welcome to this history tour. Your guides are Libby (a.k.a
Lady Liberty, the statue) and the boy who will someday be
your “Uncle Sam.”
Today, they’ll take you on a tour of the life of a boy named
Mike.
Yes, that was his name at birth: Michael King, Jr., but when
Mike was a boy, his father changed both their names to honor
a religious man. That was also when Martin Luther King, Sr.
decided to become a minister. Later, Martin Luther King Jr.
did, too.
Back then, young King knew that it was wrong to deny someone
their rights, based on the color of their skin. As a child,
he vowed to do something about Jim Crow laws someday but it
wasn’t until he was older and visited Connecticut that he
learned what it was like not to be segregated. That
trip changed his focus: he was still a man of God, but he’d
use his talents as speechmaker and leader to gain civil
rights for African Americans.
It wasn’t easy.
King’s house was bombed and, although his family was safe,
it was scary. His followers and friends were beaten and
bloodied in fields, on the streets, and in marches. His life
was threatened and that landed him in the hospital once.
And yet, King never gave up; he persevered by reaching out
to politicians and other influential people who could help
the cause. He planned and marched, even though there were
times when he was just plain tired. And he did it
until the day he died on a hotel balcony, killed by a man
with a gun…
Kids who struggle to read, or who claim they don’t like to
read may change their tune with Martin Luther King, Jr.:
Voice for Equality! Parents take note: this isn’t your
old-school stuffy history book.
Using the younger versions of two historical icons, author
James Buckley, Jr. tells the story of Dr. King through
comic-book-like illustration and balloon-text, mediums that
are familiar to both readers and reluctant readers.
Inherently, that makes this a tale kids can relate to, but
Buckley Jr. also uses modern language that children
understand, which helps get them involved by subtly
including them in the emotions inside the story. Crisp
illustrations by YouNeek Studios then keeps them engaged.
That makes this a story that could turn a middle-schooler’s
groans into smiles this summer, while it’ll still appeal to
kids who love books. For either kind of child in your home,
Martin Luther King, Jr.: Voice for Equality! is a
book they’ll ZOOM! through.
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