Martin Luther King Jr.: A King Family Tribute

Gr 4 Up—Relatives share memories of the Civil Rights leader in this scrapbook-style tribute. Among those who contributed reminiscences about "ML" (as he was called by his family) are his mother, father, and brother (all posthumously); his sister, Christine King Farris; his nieces, Alveda King and Angela Farris Watkins (who edited the collection); and his nephew, Derek King. Of special interest to readers will be writings from King's teenaged great-nieces Farris Christine Watkins, Victoria King, and Venus King. Students will have previously heard many of these stories in picture books by Christine King Farris and Angela Farris Watkins; what makes this collection truly significant are the photos, which are referred to in an editor's note as "treasured keepsakes of the King family." How amazing to be able to see perhaps the 20th century's most influential leader buckling his daughter's shoes, or leaning lazily against a car while hanging out with his brother. But thanks to Watkins and others in Dr. King's extended family, young people can now view this larger-than-life figure as a real person. Short biographies of the contributors are appended.—Sam Bloom, Blue Ash Library, Cincinnati, OH