I am Martin Luther King, Jr. (Ordinary People Change the World)

Lately, as a parent I have felt like a complete failure. The world is a complete mess, or so it feels that way. I cannot cope with all the hatred and violence. How could I possibly be expected to reassure my children that everything is going to be alright? A couple weeks ago, I hit a real low. It was a feeling of hopelessness kind of low. Nothing particularly bad had happened, but I felt like there was nothing I could do to help the people that were having very bad things happen to them. I not only felt this way, but my oldest daughter has been struggling with filtering though the world news. And then this magical thing happened...I came home from a particularly long day and discovered I am Martin Luther King, Jr. in my mailbox. That night when we sat down to read the book, I was transfixed with one particular page where Dr. King explains what he learned from the teachings of Henry David Thoreau and Mahatma Gandhi. It was a lesson of nonviolent resistance, a lesson of love and peace. I needed to hear this lesson as much as my children needed to hear it. The book can be difficult to read at times because it does not shy away from the truth about racism and injustice. It takes courage to step out of your own bubble and acknowledge the pain in others' lives. My children, who both attend extremely culturally diverse schools, were shocked at the inequities demonstrated in the text and images. With my oldest daughter, we were able to engage in discussion of when she still recognizes racist behavior or inequities today. With my youngest daughter, we talked about how she should respond if she sees someone not being treated fairly. The book provides a joyous lesson in hope. It provides a lesson in refusing to give into hate and violence. These lessons are difficult to teach your children, but having a book as a guide helps tremendously. Books like this serve as conversation starters. The cartoon-like illustrations by Christopher Eliopoulos provide images that small children are naturally draw into viewing for long periods of time. This is important if you want to read a page and then discuss what the words mean. The illustrations also make difficult topics less scary. I remember taking Miss M to the King Center in Downtown Atlanta when she was only five, and some of the pictures that were at the King Center made her very upset because of their violent and graphic nature. This book provides the perfect balance of realism for the topic and palatable imagery to engage young minds. I look forward to reading many other books in this Ordinary People Change the World. I received this book, free of charge, in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is a great book that tells the story of Martin Luther King Jr. Unfortunately, I purchased it to read in my kindergarten classroom, and I feel that based on the length and advanced vocabulary that it is not appropriate for that age. Based on the reviews I read before buying it, I thought that it would be age appropriate, but it’s not. It might be better for 4th and 5th grade students. Also the illustrations are weird. MLK is smaller than everyone else in the book. Even when speaking at a podium, he’s depicted standing on a stool.

I really like this series. By starting the characters as kids, they become very relatable to my 6yo. More so than many other such books. I do wish they’d do more of the non-white characters as heroes for work not just related to civil rights. There’ve been great black, Asian, Hispanic and Native writers, artists, scientists, actors, inventors, conservationists AND activists. As a white parent of white kids I do appreciate the many chances this series has provided to talk about racial injustice and how we have to fight it, but I feel like the message it’s sending is that’s all people of color only are heroes when they assert their own right to equality, while white people “get” to do all kinds of other things. I also look forward to more books set in countries other than the US. Still, the series is still young. There’s time for this (right, authors?) I have literally bought all the books and my kid really likes them and they’ve been jump off points for great conversations. Thanks for that!

This series is wonderful! My girls, 5 and 2, love these books. We started with I Am Rosa Parks after my kindergartener learned about Civil Rights at school. We've since bought 2 more, including this one. The books do a great job of explaining difficult subject matter in a way that kids can understand and the illustrations really interest them. We read these books over and over and over. I can't recommend them highly enough.

We wanted to give our kindergartener a more thorough introduction to MLK. This book is beautifully written. It celebrates Dr. King's life and legacy without going into his tragic death. Our daughter was fascinated by the story of people marching and being persistent in the face of so much adversity. She learned so many great lessons from this book. My only memory from kindergarten was my teacher, Mrs. Cross, teaching me about MLK, so it meant a lot to be able to share this wonderful human being with my daughter and I don't think I could have done it successfully without this beautiful book.

I bought this for my almost 5yo twins to learn age appropriate US history and civil rights. They love it! When we bring the book out, they exclaim, "King Junior!" It manages to refrain from sugar coating the history while being age appropriate for small children. All of the books in this series, including this one, has the main character as sort of childlike (shorter than adult characters, even when he is at home with his daughter) but I think this just gets the kids more interested. The end has a number of real pictures of him. It feels respectful of his legacy and is a great start to begin exploring history with kids.

I love this series, which makes heroes accessible to kids. I haven't quite decided whether I like the decision to have them keep their adult heads when they are children. It's a bit confusing. I finally decided I liked the decision for 2 reasons: first, it reminds us that these towering figures were once kids (as are the members of the audience), and it helps the kids remember faces that should be known by every American. Oh, and my 5 year old daughter has enjoyed hearing them each multiple times.

I have purchased every book Brad Metzler has written for many of my friends and family's children ages 4-8, and for my son who is only 20 months old in sheer excitement of the day we can read them together. My heart is so full knowing that each parent and child LOVED them. Many parents cried reading them with their children. Hope, dedication, and love for self and others are a common theme and any and all of his books are perfect gifts for young families.

My seven year old grandson loves these books! We were waiting for this book and were so happy when it was released in January. We even bought an extra one for his first grade teacher. The stories are easy for a child to understand and the illustrations are great. Hopefully there will be more to come.

This book was perfect for teaching my 5-year-old about Martin Luther King Jr. It is honest and thoughtful. It teaches children about how important it is to stand up for the rights of all people. My child was so intrigued that we read it numerous times and looked up more information about this amazing man. I highly recommend this book.

Lately, as a parent I have felt like a complete failure. The world is a complete mess, or so it feels that way. I cannot cope with all the hatred and violence. How could I possibly be expected to reassure my children that everything is going to be alright? A couple weeks ago, I hit a real low. It was a feeling of hopelessness kind of low. Nothing particularly bad had happened, but I felt like there was nothing I could do to help the people that were having very bad things happen to them. I not only felt this way, but my oldest daughter has been struggling with filtering though the world news. And then this magical thing happened...I came home from a particularly long day and discovered I am Martin Luther King, Jr. in my mailbox. That night when we sat down to read the book, I was transfixed with one particular page where Dr. King explains what he learned from the teachings of Henry David Thoreau and Mahatma Gandhi. It was a lesson of nonviolent resistance, a lesson of love and peace. I needed to hear this lesson as much as my children needed to hear it. The book can be difficult to read at times because it does not shy away from the truth about racism and injustice. It takes courage to step out of your own bubble and acknowledge the pain in others' lives. My children, who both attend extremely culturally diverse schools, were shocked at the inequities demonstrated in the text and images. With my oldest daughter, we were able to engage in discussion of when she still recognizes racist behavior or inequities today. With my youngest daughter, we talked about how she should respond if she sees someone not being treated fairly. The book provides a joyous lesson in hope. It provides a lesson in refusing to give into hate and violence. These lessons are difficult to teach your children, but having a book as a guide helps tremendously. Books like this serve as conversation starters. The cartoon-like illustrations by Christopher Eliopoulos provide images that small children are naturally draw into viewing for long periods of time. This is important if you want to read a page and then discuss what the words mean. The illustrations also make difficult topics less scary. I remember taking Miss M to the King Center in Downtown Atlanta when she was only five, and some of the pictures that were at the King Center made her very upset because of their violent and graphic nature. This book provides the perfect balance of realism for the topic and palatable imagery to engage young minds. I look forward to reading many other books in this Ordinary People Change the World. I received this book, free of charge, in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is a great book that tells the story of Martin Luther King Jr. Unfortunately, I purchased it to read in my kindergarten classroom, and I feel that based on the length and advanced vocabulary that it is not appropriate for that age. Based on the reviews I read before buying it, I thought that it would be age appropriate, but it’s not. It might be better for 4th and 5th grade students. Also the illustrations are weird. MLK is smaller than everyone else in the book. Even when speaking at a podium, he’s depicted standing on a stool.

I really like this series. By starting the characters as kids, they become very relatable to my 6yo. More so than many other such books. I do wish they’d do more of the non-white characters as heroes for work not just related to civil rights. There’ve been great black, Asian, Hispanic and Native writers, artists, scientists, actors, inventors, conservationists AND activists. As a white parent of white kids I do appreciate the many chances this series has provided to talk about racial injustice and how we have to fight it, but I feel like the message it’s sending is that’s all people of color only are heroes when they assert their own right to equality, while white people “get” to do all kinds of other things. I also look forward to more books set in countries other than the US. Still, the series is still young. There’s time for this (right, authors?) I have literally bought all the books and my kid really likes them and they’ve been jump off points for great conversations. Thanks for that!

This series is wonderful! My girls, 5 and 2, love these books. We started with I Am Rosa Parks after my kindergartener learned about Civil Rights at school. We've since bought 2 more, including this one. The books do a great job of explaining difficult subject matter in a way that kids can understand and the illustrations really interest them. We read these books over and over and over. I can't recommend them highly enough.

We wanted to give our kindergartener a more thorough introduction to MLK. This book is beautifully written. It celebrates Dr. King's life and legacy without going into his tragic death. Our daughter was fascinated by the story of people marching and being persistent in the face of so much adversity. She learned so many great lessons from this book. My only memory from kindergarten was my teacher, Mrs. Cross, teaching me about MLK, so it meant a lot to be able to share this wonderful human being with my daughter and I don't think I could have done it successfully without this beautiful book.

I bought this for my almost 5yo twins to learn age appropriate US history and civil rights. They love it! When we bring the book out, they exclaim, "King Junior!" It manages to refrain from sugar coating the history while being age appropriate for small children. All of the books in this series, including this one, has the main character as sort of childlike (shorter than adult characters, even when he is at home with his daughter) but I think this just gets the kids more interested. The end has a number of real pictures of him. It feels respectful of his legacy and is a great start to begin exploring history with kids.

I love this series, which makes heroes accessible to kids. I haven't quite decided whether I like the decision to have them keep their adult heads when they are children. It's a bit confusing. I finally decided I liked the decision for 2 reasons: first, it reminds us that these towering figures were once kids (as are the members of the audience), and it helps the kids remember faces that should be known by every American. Oh, and my 5 year old daughter has enjoyed hearing them each multiple times.

I have purchased every book Brad Metzler has written for many of my friends and family's children ages 4-8, and for my son who is only 20 months old in sheer excitement of the day we can read them together. My heart is so full knowing that each parent and child LOVED them. Many parents cried reading them with their children. Hope, dedication, and love for self and others are a common theme and any and all of his books are perfect gifts for young families.

My seven year old grandson loves these books! We were waiting for this book and were so happy when it was released in January. We even bought an extra one for his first grade teacher. The stories are easy for a child to understand and the illustrations are great. Hopefully there will be more to come.

This book was perfect for teaching my 5-year-old about Martin Luther King Jr. It is honest and thoughtful. It teaches children about how important it is to stand up for the rights of all people. My child was so intrigued that we read it numerous times and looked up more information about this amazing man. I highly recommend this book.

We love these books. My son is 6 years old. We’ve been collected these titles for the last year and have every one in the set. He asks to read a different one every night and is learning to read them on his own. They are very educational and also entertaining. It’s amazing how much he has learned about Rosa Parks, Jim Henson, and all of the subjects of the books. He went as Jackie Robinson for book character day because, in his words, Jackie was so brave and a hero. His kindergarten teacher told me they were talking about differences and he started telling all his classmates about Gandhi. Amazing! These books have a great message and should be in everyone's library.

This book is a must have for a child’s collection. My daughter is obsessed with the show and with everything currently going on I wanted something to read to her. This covers him from a small child to Selma. Has real photos of him after the story. I learned things about him I never learned in school or on my own. It’s a great kid history book.

I teach pre kindergarten, my children are between the ages 5-6. This book was perfect . It gave age appropriate info. It seemed to get the message across in an interesting bio format. When we Completed the book, the kids seemed to understand his goals and accomplishments. The illustrations were kid friendly as well.

I bought this for my students so they could read about the lives of famous people from the time they were children. My third grade students love, love, love the I am series. To see third graders loving biographies as much as Dog-Man is most inspiring and has us on our way to wide reading for the year!

...which is why the illustrations are the way they are with Dr. King depicted as child-like. My kindergartener and I enjoyed this book very much. She enjoyed it so much, in fact, that she requested the rest of the series. It's informative but relatable to a kid which is awesome. If vocabulary is a concern, get a children's dictionary and look up the word with the child, use context clues, discuss it! Great choice for school and home.

Love this series by Brad Meltzer. We have read this one, Neil Armstrong, Ben Franklyn, walt Disney, and Helen Keller. My 7 year old son loves them. He isnt super into reading. Much more into video games and t.v. but he loves these books. This book about MLK was really amazing he had lots of questions. These books are entertaining and really educational. And of course he has noticed something everyone seems to have in common which is their love of reading books.

This series of books has been an amazing introduction to historical figures for my kindergartener. They are engaging and easy to follow - He loves them! We will be purchasing more.

Book is wordy so not the best book for teachers with little kids. But info is great and doesn’t hold back. I would definitely recommend especially for teachers teaching 3rd-5th grade

Brought for my 5 yo sons. Good balance of information. They love it. We have watched several "Xavier Riddle" cartoons so are familiar with the illustration style and the main character looking like a child. Also like that there are a few real pictures in the back of the book. Nice way to introduce them to an important historical figure.

Ordinary People Change the World Series is the best. You can't go wrong. I love that Brad Meltzer's story telling is very captivating and the illustration by Christopher Eliopoulos is so cute. My 5 year old loves it. We read these books every night. Each book teaches that they were just ordinary people who had different struggles in life but they persevere by being courageous and by not giving up.

I bought this for my grandsons for MLK Birthday and Black History month. They love it. It has generated many good conversations and has been read over and over.

Makes it easy to explain the need for the civil rights movement and the life of Dr. King. I'm annoyed that I am being forced to do this and cannot move on.

The book expresses well Kings outrage and his commitment to expressing his determination nonviolently. I like the little black suit and small mustach he has even as a little boy. A lovely little book with a big message

Read this to my students on MLK day for them to do a project. They really liked it. I have several of Brad Meltzer's books in my classroom library. The students "argue" over who's going to get a chance to read them.

Drawings are geared towards young kids but the language was too difficult for my students to understand.

One of my daughters favorite books. Great education for elementary kids and great conversation started and education provided.

Brad Meltzer has done a great job creating a book for children that addresses race and allows parents to begin the conversation with their children. It's one of those topics that you eventually have to have with your children at some point.

What a adorable educating book. Wish it was more in detail but for a children’s book you can’t got wrong. Same as the one in the schooling system. Awesome.

Everyone should have this. In fact, all these Brad Meltzer books are pretty much our favorite books for our 3, 5, and 7 year old. BUY NOW! The manner in which it is written, the fun facts, the beautiful illustrations. WHAT IS NOT TO LOVE!?

Brad is simply amazing. My kids LOVE these books. I order 4-5 at a time and give them away for birthday presents to kids friends. Parents love them because they're not another cheap crappy toy and kids love them because they're awesome.

My 6-year-old and I really enjoyed reading this most recent addition to the "I am..." series. The illustrations are fun for kids and the text is well-written for both kids and adults. I particularly enjoy the speech bubbles. Her kindergarten class also enjoyed this story for Martin Luther King day.

The illustrations are weird. MLK is portrayed as a tiny adult even when he was a kid. The story is good but if I’d seen it in person I probably wouldn’t have purchased because the illustrations are odd. Why does he always have a mustache? Why is he always tiny? He’s always smaller than all the other adults.

I needed this book for a collage course. We had to select an easy read for elem social studies . It’s super cute!

Older grandson had a school project. Both grandsons enjoyed having this book read to them

This is an absolutely fantastic book. At first we borrowed it from the library, but then my child asked me to buy it. It is a graphic picture book that has a little Martin tell his story in hindsight or flashback. It is a wonderful read and a keepsake. My child loved the speech bubbles.

This book tells such great history in a way for kids to digest beautifully. I love that the author told this story!

My fam loves this series. They travel well (leave the book jacket at home) and they challenge my 3 year old intellectually.

Great book with a lot of interesting facts. My students enjoy them every year.

Love these books. Great for little ones. Beautiful pictures and puts it in the perspective of a small child. Easy to understand but not so simple that it's boring. Gives a good lesson. Received in a short period and in perfect condition.

Such a great book. Detailed and age appropriate

Just read his entire Wikipedia page to your kids instead.

I like series of books. Good way to teach history to kids and keep there attention. My 5 year old enjoyed but good for elementry age kids also.

My 6yr old has had me read her this books 4 times already and we only got it 3 days ago on 01/20/2020

Accurate information.

I love, love this book and all the others from Brad Meltzer! I first ordered the one on Amelia Earhart and loved it so much I bought all his others. The stories are cute and funny, factual, informative, and just long enough. I love the illustrations.

GREAT SERIES

Great for second grade

My second grade students really enjoyed this book. It was so informative and well written! The students connected well with the illustrations as well. We were able to have such a meaningful discussion.

I bought all the male themed I am books for my nephew. He is obsessed with them. The entire series is cute and it really makes him want to read.

A VERY ENJOYABLE READ, MY DAUGHTER LOVED IT!

I’m going to use this book to help my student who is a struggling reader. He loves to read about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I saw another teacher read this and was moved by how powerful it is.

I love reading this book, and the other books from the "Ordinary People" series to my 4.5 year old. It is wonderful to teach him about our country's past, as well how he can shape the future. The book provokes a lot of good conversation. Highly recommend this, and the other books in the series.

My daughter who doesnt like to read, loves how this is set up like a comic series but she is learning. Shes made me buy several of them. She likes how they are fun to read and talk about when they were kids too.

Love this series. But for my 4 year old who loves it the most, it's a bit too wordy. the Author repeats a lot of the same things over and over again.

We love this series of books and MLK Jr continues in the excellent tradition. The story is relevant for the whole family (ages 8 - adult in our house) and has quickly become a favorite.

This book does a GREAT job of teaching younger kids the importance of MLK work and still communicating how hard it was to do what he did during that time. Great book!

Really great book for children to learn about MLKjr but I wish it could have been a little shorter and a little less in depth. It's not that all those things aren't important to learn about but for children sometimes a story doesn't have to be so through for them to learn.

Nice book for the classroom!

On time delivery, great product, honest company

All of these books are engaging and inspiring; used these for K historical figures, black history- they are wonderful stories and I hope to see more of them.

My family loves the "Ordinary People" line of books. This one was great, our favorite is Rosa Parks. We especially appreciate the fact that it doesn't "dumb down" racism or make it seem like it was no big deal.

My son LOVES this series of books and we have purchased them all for him. What a wonderful way to tech young kids (5 for us) important messages about society and our history without scary details. Just the right dose of really and heart for pre-school age.

Good book

wonderful book, teaches kids about MLK Jr. with great pictures and in a sort of comic type style so the kids don’t tune out. The other books by this author are great too, we have a few :)

Finding this series very successful even with reluctant readers.

Great book with lots of beautiful illustrations. However, it was a little long for my 2nd graders. We broke it up into a few different times.

I purchased all of these books for my grandson. He cannot put them down! He even tells his parents what he learned during dinner. And he has been caught reading after bedtime under the covers with a flashlight. They have been a big hit!

My seven-year-old daughter loves this. I learned things my high school and associate's degree classes never even came close to. This is an important book.

These books are fabulous and give kids real examples of worthy role models. My nieces and nephews love them and the adults also enjoy reading them to the children too! Thank you, Brad Meltzer!!!

My kids love this book

This item was carefully packaged to avoid any possible damage. It is a wonderful purchase for a child's library.

Wonderful book. Seven year old nephew loves it, as do his parents.

Well written book & great for teaching my son his history.

Great for kids and adults learn too

Very good book that covers the basics about MLK for kids to understand. Teaches children valuable lessons about peace and how change has happened.

Awesome book!

I bought this for my 5 year old Son and he loves it. Very age appropriate for him.

Very informative, interesting and enjoyable

I love this whole series. A great way to teach about racism and activism. My 7 year old daughter loves each one that she has read (Rosa Parks, Amelia Erhart, Jackie Robinson, Albert Einstein and Abraham Lincoln)

My kids love all Brad Metzler books. These biographies are a fantastic look at history - at a kids level. Just awesome!

Wonderful book! I even got a little emotional while reading it to my children.

I own most of the books in this series. This title, however, is my favorite.

A very good book I bought for my 7 yr old grandson, he was excited to read it to me.

A great way to teach a piece of history to your little one. It is written well and the illustrations are great.

excellent book for a young child

My 8 and 11 year old love this entire series of books. We cannot get enough of these and have bought all of them. They are educational, interesting, and even funny and cute with the illustrations. We want more Mr. Meltzer!!!!

I am incredibly impressed with the message of this book. This has longer paragraphs than the Abe Lincoln book but excellent!

Great book! Love the illustrations. My 3 y.o. really likes looking at it over and over.

I like these books by Brad Meltzer. Martin has a moustache throughout just as Abe Lincoln sports a beard through his tale.

awesome subject matter....great gift for any child

wonderful series

Draws the child in and keeps them interested. Love that my grandsons can see themselves in these stories.

My 5 year old daughter loves this book and has read it over and over.

I use this book for black history month in my class, the kids loved it.

It has great appearance, like new. Doesn’t liked the way it was wrapped!

Wonderful book to begin the conversation.

Brad Meltzer has created a wonderful collection of books. So happy to add this one to our children's library. This book is a great way to learn more about MLK

A great introduction to civil rights and the black experience in America.

Such a great book.

Perfect to a new learner!

This is one of the best children's books out there! A must have for every race and religion ♥️ ♥️

Such. Great book that my 5& 7 year old can read and understand on their own.

I ordered this book for my daughter's class and they children all loved it. Brad Meltzer is a fantastic children's author!

Very good

This book is amazing. I love the whole series!

Great book for my 7 yr old. I'm sure he will treasure it for a long time.

I love this whole series, and have bought them for "the grands". The first grader, who had recently read this challenged his teacher with his broad knowledge of MLK based on the book.... When asked if he learned anything new from the teacher's lesson plan, his response was a shrug and a simple comment, "I learned his first name was Doctor." Meltzer makes the characters relatable to kids, and brings history alive..

Gorgeous

Love it!

Excellent for young children especially for elementery school children.

Love all of these books

Cute book. Gets off to an interesting start though.

We have purchased all the books in this set and our children are in love with them. There is a good message, lesson, and information in each book. They drive the point that you can accomplish anything that you work hard for.

Great book to share with kids

Perfect

Nice read but not for young kids (3)

Great!

Great book

We love these books. The kids always ask for more of them. Buy it!

As described.

This is how you get your kid to love history!

Love this book series, love this volume

Great format!

My students love this book. I love all of Brad Meltzer's books! This is a great series.

Awesome! My 7 yr old niece loves these books.

Great book!

I love this one as well as the other "Ordinary People Who Changed the World". I can't wait the the next 'hero'

Granddaughter loves this book.

It was a great book!!! The shipping came on time, and my friend Allen also got Brad to sign it for me!!!

Words cannot explain how much I love these book! These books made me me tear up they were so inspiring, and my 6 and 4 y/o didn't have a problem understanding and sitting through the whole books. They especially loved the pictures at the end of the real people. The illustrations are great too! I have every book out and pre-ordered the two coming out in September. These are worth every penny and more!

These books are the best!!

Beautiful pictures and easy to read. My 9 year old, loved reading about him and the pictures of him as a small child. The story was very moving and thought provoking. I bought two of these books and gave one to a church for their children :) I highly recommend this book. My son thought it was sad, how people treat others and vowed to never do that to anyone. Thank you for the speedy delivery too.

Brad Meltzer has written some amazing books that speak to the hearts of my grandchildren. MLK was amazing!

Great

Fantastic

Absolutely amazing book. My kids from ages 4, 6, and 9 loved it. Very happy.

I am Martin Luther King, Jr. is the latest offering in the Ordinary People Change the World book series for children by New York Times bestselling author Brad Meltzer and illustrator Christopher Eliopoulos. Each book in the Ordinary People Change the World series features one notable American (with the exception of Albert Einstein who was born in Germany but lived in the United States until his death). The individuals featured in the series are all "famous" and the reason for the notoriety varies. Included in the series are activists (I am Rosa Parks, I am Martin Luther King, Jr., I am Helen Keller), an athlete (e.g., I am Jackie Robinson), an actress (I am Lucille Ball), a scientist (I am Albert Einstein), an American President (I am Abraham Lincoln), and that famous female pilot, I am Amelia Earhart. Each of these individuals has the potential to be a great role model for children, although arguably, from my perspective, they are not all in the same class. I am Martin Luther King, Jr. introduces the reader to a young (mustachioed) Martin who, we learn, was a great lover of books. We see the world through Martin's eyes at a time in American history when white children were told by their parents to not play with the "black children"; where white children went to the "good school" with beautiful playgrounds and a large library, and the black children went to the small, decrepit school with no desks; where black people wouldn't be served in restaurants; where black people had to give up their seat on the bus to white people; and so on. This was a moving part of the book and very well done with respect to introducing racial discrimination to children. As Martin grows up (amusingly, he is always depicted as a young boy with a mustache in a suit presumably so children can identify with him?), we learn about his peaceful methods of activism including protests, speeches, letters, publications, and more. There are even speech bubbles where lines from Martin Luther King, Jr.'s most famous speech are included: "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream that one day ... little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers." Overall, the quality and depth of the information presented and the tone of the book (which could have been very dark given the facts associated with Martin Luther King, Jr.) were appropriate for children (albeit a bit older, 5 to 10). The messages of justice, peace, and love we associate with Martin Luther King, Jr. are what is presented throughout the book. King's assassination (labelled "killed") is only mentioned in the timeline at the end of the book. The illustrations in the book are superb and use a graphic novel-style presentation combining text, cartoon depictions of individuals, and speech bubbles. This seems to be a very kid-friendly format giving children lots to look at as they flip through the pages. The book is half the size of a regular picture book though and it may make it harder to use in a classroom setting or library reading circle where someone is reading the book aloud to a larger audience of children. It would be difficult to read the text in the speech bubbles, for example. I highly recommend this book and the Ordinary People Change the World book series for children ages 5 to 10. * This book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own. *

This entire biography book series literally goes out of its way to never mention God or Christianity at all- so much so that it is not an accurate biography of many individuals. A big part of Martin Luther King Jr’s life was God. He got his doctorate in theology, he was a pastor, his father was a pastor, he often spoke about all races being created under God. He got his start speaking in the church! He has credited his own faith for driving his activism and giving him the strength to stand up in the face of great danger for what is right- yet this book goes out of its way to omit all of this information. The entire reason he was called DOCTOR was because of his degree in theology and his occupation was a minister- but none of that is in this book. If you are writing a biography, factually telling about a person’s occupation, education, etc.. is important and expected. You’re not promoting Christianity by factually telling about his life. This same series also excluded “religious” aspects of Rosa Park’s life in her biography. Even atheists/agnostics agree that this is ridiculous. Look elsewhere for an accurate and unbiased biography that tells about the whole Martin Luther King Jr.

I don't especially want to buy into the current culture wars, but I found it really weird that this book could not bring itself to tell the reader that Martin Luther King Jr was a Baptist minister. It says he went to seminary to study "religion" and that while he was there he was influenced by Thoreau and Gandhi. Which is fine as far as it goes, but I think it's a bizarre omission to edit out the fact that he was a Christian, influenced by Jesus. Oh, and there's the issue that he's depicted throughout, even as a child, in a suit and tie with a moustache. I think there are better books for kids about MLK than this one.

Surprisingly, my 6 year old son with very low focus ability due to a multitude of disabilities really loves this book. Even though he's white, he relates to not feeling included, feeling left out- This book will speak to your kid, whether you know it or not. Given the current times, it will also help. To them, it feels like this is all happening right now, whether you've explained it or not.

This book is part of the “Ordinary People Change the World” series, which highlights amazing actions done by many people for justice and kindness throughout history. My kids and I have been reading a lot about Martin Luther King, Jr. over the past year, and they were thrilled that we’d get to read and review this book. The narrative is a bit longer for a picture book, so this book (and series) is especially better suited for ages 5 and up. This book included a lot of information within its pages though, which we all liked and appreciated. My kids enjoyed how the narrative was written as if Martin Luther King was talking to them, telling us his story. They also enjoyed the illustration style and formatting of having some folks talk in dialogue bubbles that added to the narrative. These spots allow for perfect places to take turns reading out loud. The material sparks conversations on fair treatment and justice, even for the younger age group. Starting in childhood also helps younger readers relate what happened to minorities. I expected more back matter at the end of the book, although it makes since that the back matter is condensed since the narrative highlights many events within MLK Jr.’s life. I’m especially glad the book states, “…remember how far we’ve come. And how much more work there is to do.” The ending spread empowers readers to know our voices can come together to support each other. I personally found the illustration choice of keeping Martin Luther King Jr. as child-sized throughout the book distracting rather than helpful. My kids noticed it too (as my daughter noted above), but it also didn’t bother them. (This is a style choice throughout the whole series, so it’s something I believe most readers can get used to.) The illustrations are colorful and interesting. We’ll definitely be checking out more of this series. Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book as a MCBD reviewer. All opinions expressed are my own, and this is my honest review.

"The time is always right to do right." - Martin Luther King, Jr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is a hero I've always admired. His lessons on love, standing up for something you believe in, doing good, forgiving, and being immovable in your faith and convictions, is something that has always inspired me. He is proof that when we stand together, we can accomplish great things. This book is a child sized history of Martin Luther King, Jr. It gives readers a look into the life of a young Martin Luther King, Jr, all the way through his adult years. Readers get to read about the experiences he had as a child growing up in a time of segregation, and how those experiences inspired him to want to make a change. Readers also learn about the events that shaped him into the man he became, and the things he did to inspire change. He made a difference. He inspired change. His actions turned him into a modern day hero. What I loved about how this book, is how it reads. Young Martin Luther King, Jr himself, is giving readers a brief history of his own life. The book reads as though he's telling the reader about his own life, and what inspired him. Written for children, and simply told, this is a book that's engaging, and very easy for readers to understand. It's one that will capture, and hold shortened attention spans, while teaching them a valuable history lesson. Everyone can learn something from this amazing hero. I have done a lot of reading up on Martin Luther King, Jr. through the years, and I'm always inspired by this incredible leader, and modern day hero. I learned something from this book, and walked away feeling inspired to do better. To get up and keep going on, and to love those around me more. Something Martin Luther King, Jr, lived his entire life doing. I'm so happy to see that Martin Luther King, Jr.'s story has been added to this amazing book series. Ordinary People Change the World is a fantastic series for young readers. It provides them with a look into the lives and examples of extraordinary people who have helped shaped our history, and who still stand out as heroes today. This book is a must have for all classroom libraries, home libraries, and any school or public library!

I Am Martin Luther King, Jr is an absolutely wonderful picture book about a man who inspired so many. Martin Luther King, Jr was such an incredible man who fought for fairness and equality among all people despite the color of their skin or their gender. Author Brad Meltzer does a beautiful job of creating a fun story that teaches children just how remarkable Martin Luther King, Jr was. have to admit, although I am a mother of four and have helped my children research and write about Martin Luther King, Jr numerous times, I learned a few new facts from the book like his first friend was a white boy and that he was forced to give up his seat on a city bus.. The story is well organized and engaging. The fantastic illustrations by Christopher Eliopoulos enhance this lively and educational book. I highly recommend picking up a copy. You should also check out the other fabulous books in the Ordinary People Change the World Series.

Love this book! And several of the other 'Ordinary People Change the World' books. Very well written and easy for my 6 year old to understand the content. This line of books has a very positive message to children to encourage persistence in the face of opposition and to stand up for what you know is right. I only gave this book 4 stars because they left out one giant factor that made Martin Luther King Jr who he was...Jesus! His faith and being a minister who lived according to the Bible is what he was all about. The book made references to him being influenced by Thoreau and Ghandi, which is not untrue, but they paled in comparison to the influence he received from the holy spirit living inside him. Love your enemies, live with peace, and standing up for the mistreated are all main themes Jesus has called us to live by, and MLK Jr lived it out!

Very good easy to understand book for kids. A lot of words on each page so not so good for younger kids (my 2 year old gets bored). I find this book hard to read in that not much has changed.

My son enjoyed how Martin Luther King, Jr was illustrated in the book. He felt that It made it easier for kids to relate. He also liked the comic book feel with the text bubbles. I thought it was a good, quick read doe kids to learn about Martin Luther King, Jr. In a well illustrated book.

I am happy to live in a time when this man came first. I'm blessed to have many colored friends in my lifetime and it's sad to think that I wouldn't have had them had someone not fought for equal rights. MLK Jr was an amazing man. Just think what more he could've done had his life not been cut short!

I love the Ordinary People Change the World series, it is a great series for kids to learn about famous people. From actors to historians, the series covers people you would want your children to learn about. This book covers Martin Luther King Jr. which honestly came at a perfect time because my kids were curious about him. The book puts the story in a simple enough way for kids to understand but in enough detail that they get a lot of good information. The illustrations are cute and kid-friendly as well. This is a great series for kids and adults. I received this book to review in exchange for sharing my honest opinion.

I’m not sure how this book have gotten a great reviews. This might have been a perfect example of propaganda book that instills in a child a sort of negativity how it presents itself with its vocabulary, images depicting characters and the story itself specifically meant for children. There is a better way to tell the history of a great leaders and their struggles appropriately. I feel like everyone who gave a good review is complicit in damaging a particular view and that goes without saying for the authors and illustrators.

We liked how the book clearly taught about not using violence to solve problems. The book focused on Martin's powerful words and how they made a difference in our American History. We liked that the book left the part out regarding Martin's death and focused more on how he lived his life. The book was filled with really detailed illustrations. The pages were filled with pages, speech bubbles, and text that added to the beauty of this story. We loved the book's theme of no matter time how many times you get knocked down, you can get right up! We love the inclusion of Martin's feelings and cutely showed Martin young with a mustache.

This book is a good read for 3rd graders and very informative. My granddaughter is new to the subject (and realility) of racism but with this important book she understands the issue much more. Thank you

We have read this book with our boys so many times. Each time we do they ask thought-provoking questions and show care for others. We love this entire series but I think this one is our favorite.

Sorry I loved the idea but the illustrations are bizarre with little Dr King as a child with a big head with a mustache the text was not appropriate for my preschoolers didnt work for us-- maybe older kids I dont know

Love these books! I do not believe my 3 & 5 year old understand it all, but owning the books will help us get there after many reads.

Great book for kids. I read this to my three year old and it held his interest the entire time. He also asked for me to read it again which is the sign of any great book. Will definitely be reading more books like these.

Excellent and moving book that allows the life of MLK and the civil rights movement to be experienced in a way that's easy for children to understand. Love and acceptance are important lessons and having a real life hero to point to help illustrate those points.

Full of history and explained in terms that are age appropriate. Perfect teaching tool for my kindergartner!

Great addition to the set. I buy these for my nephews and their friends.

this was a gift.

Entire series gets 5 stars and this one is no exception!

This book puts such a negative spin on racial issues especially when the book is intended for a young audience. My son didn't even notice that kids were of different ethnicity until reading this book. Suddenly people are black and white. It even uses the word hate to discuss the issue. I know I can't avoid this topic forever with my child but at 7 years old I found this book totally disappointing.

I'm not saying the book is bad but WHY is it targeted for kindergarten ages 5-8? You are teaching kindergarten children about racism? My son read this book at school before he never knew or even thought of the idea that people are different based on the colour of their skin, their shape/size or their religious background. He was an innocent child that was not exposed to racism. He looked at everyone as being the same, which is what we are all trying to achieve? Now, I understand the importance of the topic but this type of lesson should be meant for older children not kindergarten children that don't even know what racism is. You don't have to try and teach a good lesson by introducing a terrible problem to innocent young children.

Love this book! Gives a great summary of Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement. Love the illustrations as well.

Wonderful history for children

I really liked this book as it doesn't feel like a biography but a picture book story. I loved how my kids all paid attention to it and it kept their attention as I read it. I love the illustrations in this book how they are colorful and unique. It's a great book for kids to read and learn about Martin Luther King, Jr.