Reading aloud a book to your child about MLK might seem like an insignificant way to honor such a significant person in our nation's history, but without reading aloud and discussing who MLK was your child may never understand the importance of his movement.
My favorite book to read aloud to children about MLK is Martin's Big Words by Doreen Rappaport and illustrated by Bryan Collier. This book so elegantly and simply tells the story of Dr. King's life from childhood until he was taken from this world much too early. Intertwined in the text are actual quotes and words of MLK. His own words flow so smoothly with Rappaport's words and adds so much richness to the story. I like that this story tells of Martin as a child because I think that helps children to relate to him even more. To make the story even more more appealing the illustrations by Collier are amazing. At the beginning of the book Collier discusses his inspiration for the collages used through out the book, which makes the art speak to you almost as much as the words.
Today would also be a good day to share with kids MLK's most famous speech, "I Have A Dream." Of course you can find a lot of variations on YouTube but there is one very simple video found at Readeez. This video has one simple picture and you can hear about 1 minutes and 42 seconds of his speech. The words simple and slowly flow across the screen so older children can follow along with what MLK was saying. Check it out sometime.
So, today many have been given the entire day off- let's do something that would make Dr. King proud. Help a neighbor, send a care package to the soldiers, make a meal for someone in need, READ a book to someone. Dr. King said, "Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'" What will you do for others today?
Happy Reading!
Laura
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