Martin’s Big Words
“Love is the key to the problems of the world.”
Martin’s Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. written by Doreen Rappaport, is a story about Dr. King using many of his own words. Rappaport studied nonviolence first in high school in 1955 and later attended the March on Washington in 1963. She has written many children’s books about important historical figures, which has won her many awards throughout her career.
This can be a difficult book for adults to read to young readers due to the honest language used when describing what happened to protestors in the south and the murder of Martin Luther King, Jr. Grown-ups don’t like to think about children grappling with difficult or heavy subjects like violence and death.
However, it is absolutely more important that we not reinforce a bland, sugar-coated version of Black history. Doing so is anti-Black because it erases and minimizes painful truths. We must not glaze over the fact that religious leaders, judges, police officers - all who are charged with upholding what is right- participated in violent acts against Black people.
If we omit hard truths about the past, it is easier to ignore when those things happen today.
This is not to say the Black History Month is all doom and gloom. In fact, well-rounded teaching of the subject balances stories about violence and struggle with stories of the joy and accomplishments of Black people. Even better, make an effort to tell stories about Black history before the enslavement of African people in America.
Black history and culture should be celebrated and taught year-round, of course, but we still need this month because white European history still dominates American historical discourse. Maybe one day there will no longer be that need. Until then, we will continue to share stories like this one.
Teachers
This book is recommended for children in 1st through 5th grade.
Use this story to begin an author study on Doreen Rappaport. This approach gives students the opportunity to peer into an author’s life and body of work. Whether individually, in small groups, or as a class, students can critically evaluate her themes, subjects, and writing style. What events in Rappaport’s life connect to her work and her writing? What connections can your students make between their life experiences, Rappaport’s life, and those of the people she wrote about?
Some Things to Think About…
Why do you think Doreen Rappaport wanted to write this book? What is special or important about the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.?
What do you know about Dr. King? Where did you learn it?
What do you think Dr. King would say to us if he were alive today?
illustrated by Bryan Collier
