Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Martin Luther King, Jr. was born on January 15, 1929.  This  year Dr. King’s birthday will be observed on Monday, January 17th.  


I was living in Washington, D.C. in 1986 when President Reagan signed into law the bill that created the federal observance and I have been to MLK’s birthplace in Atlanta many times in the 20 years since I moved here.

The home Martin Luther King grew up in on Auburn Avenue in Atlanta. 

I have taken my children, other family members and out of town visitors to walk the streets where he grew up, to sit in the pew of the church where he preached (and where his mother was killed) and to stand at the fountain that marks his tomb. 

Our kids on the first of several trips to the King Memorial.

I am always awed by the experience. 


And, I love children’s books and own quite a few.  So it is not lightly that I say the book(cover above), Martin’s Big Words: The life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is amazing, with lot of illustrations, like this:

It is not surprising that this book won the New York Times  Book Review for Best Illustrated Book in 2001. It was also a Caldecott Honor Book.  It’s author Doreen Rappaport and illustrator Bryan Collier have both done spectacular jobs. 


So, today I will reread this beautiful book, and probably again on Monday too, and reflect on the man who changed so many lives for the better.