Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King ~ Jean Marzollo

Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King

Written by Jean Marzollo
Illustrated by J. Brian Pinkney

We really enjoyed this book about Martin Luther King! When we read the very first page, my daughter (at the time, age 7) noticed that his birthday was the following day, January 15th! She immediately asked if we could have a birthday celebration for him.

As we read through the book, I was very impressed with how the book was written with a young child in mind. The only part that I skipped over was that he was shot and killed. In the introduction of the book, Marzollo even acknowledges that “it isn’t, after all, necessary to tell very young children the harsh details about Reverend King’s death in order to convey to them the central message of his inspirational leadership” and even suggests to simply say that Martin Luther King “died” in 1968. We really enjoyed this book and I feel that it was very age-appropriate for my kids. Read more >>

Buy the Book: Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King

Originally posted on January 14, 2010.