Martin's Big Words

Author: Doreen Rappaport

Illustrator: Bryan Collier

Peach’s Picks Rating:

 

Year of publication: 2001

City of publication: New York

Publisher: Jump At the Sun / Hyperion Books for Children

ISBN: 0-7868-0714-8

Author website: http://www.doreenrappaport.com/

Illustrator website: http://www.bryancollier.com/

Media used for illustrations: Collage and watercolors

Annotation: This picturebook biography celebrates the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It begins with his childhood, includes early events in the Civil Rights Movement, and ends with his assassination.

Personal reaction to the book: The story begins with Martin Luther King, Jr. and his mother on a downtown sidewalk. Young Martin points questioningly at a on a drinking fountain that says “WHITE ONLY”.  His mother tells him, “You are as good as anyone.” So begins the beautifully written and illustrated tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life. It includes early events in the Civil Rights Movement and King’s involvement in those events, the march on Washington, and eventually ends with King’s assassination in Memphis, Tennessee where he was supporting striking garbage workers. As a child King, listened to his minister father deliver sermons containing what Martin considered “big words”, well-chosen words that delivered powerful messages. He grew up to deliver his own “big words” that helped change the course of history. Rappaport’s tight narrative weaves itself around King’s quotations. She captures the essentials of his nonviolent message. The illustrator creates a textural combination of cut-paper collages and watercolor illustrations that extend the text, adding powerful images to powerful words. An author’s note and illustrator’s note at the beginning of the book offer insights into the making of the book. A timeline of “Important Dates” and a list of related books and websites are included at the end. The endpapers are beautiful, stained glass windows echoing the illustrations of stained glass windows found throughout the text and emphasize the importance of King’s spiritual beliefs. This is a beautiful introduction to Martin Luther King, Jr. and his words.

General curricular connections:

• Social Studies / Civil Rights Movement
• History / Civil Rights Movement
• Biography / Martin Luther King, Jr.
• Black History Month

Specific example of curricular connection matched to State Standards:
Subject: History
Grade level: 11

Standards:

California State Standards

History – Social Studies Content Standards for Public Schools: Kindergarten through Grade 12

Grade 11 United States History and Geography: Continuity and Change in the Twentieth Century

11.10 Students analyze the development of federal civil rights and voting rights.

4. Examine the roles of civil rights advocates (e.g., A. Philip Randolph, Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcom X, Thurgood Marshall, James Farmer, Rosa Parks), including the significance of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” and “I Have a Dream” speech.

Recommended grade levels:
School Library Journal recommends this book for use with grades 3-5
Booklist recommends this book for use with ages 4-9
Peach’s Picks recommends this book for use with grades 2 and up

Awards/Recognitions:

Jane Addams Children’s Book Award, 2002

National Council of Teachers of English, Orbis Pictus Honor Book, 2002

Caldecott Honor Book, 2002

Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Book, 2002

ALA Notable Children’s Book, All Ages, 2002

Booklist starred review

Horn Book starred review

School Library Journal starred review

Note: This book is included in Assignment 2.

Metaphor: In the illustrator’s notes Collier says “For me the, the windows are metaphors in a lot of ways, I the dark, they blaze out at you like beams of light. The multicolors symbolize multi races. Stained-glass windows are also a vehicle to tell the story of Jesus. And, whether you’re on the inside or the outside, windows allow you to look past where you are. I use metaphors throughout my work. The four candles in the last picture, for example, represent the four girls who were killed in the Sixteenth Street Baptist church. Their light shines on.”

Repetition: Illustrations of stained glass windows found throughout the book

Use of sophisticated language: Quotations by Martin Luther King, Jr.; for example, page 14, “When the history books are written, someone will say there lived black people who had the courage to stand up for their rights.”

Book cover picture retrieved fromhttp://www.doreenrappaport.com/gallery.html