PENGUIN I am Martin Luther King, Jr.

This book was a part of the new series that I recently came across and I instantly fell in love. All the books in these series are based on true stories and the story is very encouraging. They are a bit expensive but I can assure you good quality visuals, story and paper and binding quality. We also bought I am (Albert Einstein, Helen Keller and Abraham Lincoln) from the series. My son is 4 and he is a bit young to understand the real meaning, but I am happy to have introduced these books to him, early!

These beautifully illustrated “I Am” hard cover booklets are not cheap. However they are really, really nice!. And of very good quality. We have quite a collection by now and both the children and us parents love these books. The storyline is clear, interesting and well-told in comic-book text prints. However it is done in such a manner that children can relate to the main character while they learn about the era that Martin Luther grew up in as well. The range of topics in this series can’t be praised enough. The good thing is that they address famous historical characters other than the usual megalomical white conquerors that we learned about at school. These books can be a very nice present.

MMinha filha adorou o livro. Demorou um pouco, mas chegou tudo bem.

This series of books has become my go-to gift for any kids in my life. Most of them are still a little young to read them on their own, but the messages are great, and accessible, even for a four year-old. I also love the illustrations (particularly love that little kid Martin Luther King, Jr. has a mustache and a suit).

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.