“I Can Read: Martin Luther King Jr., A Peaceful Leader,” by Sarah Albee, illustrated by Chin Ko.
Harper Collins Publishers, 2018, 32 pages, Grades 2-3.
Nonfiction is an increasingly popular form of literature. Whereas fiction uses created characters and settings, nonfiction utilizes known facts about people and events. Therefore, nonfiction is usually more factual than fiction.
In the last few decades, nonfiction has become very sophisticated and the writing has become more compelling. For example, in nonfiction K-6 science books, students usually encounter pictures and illustrations that are stunning. The field of biography has also advanced.
Children’s biographers, such as Sarah Albee, blend the known facts about historical characters with a very readable storyline. This makes these biographies interesting to young readers. This biography about Martin Luther King assists early readers moving from picture books into chapter books. It is one of a number of biographies by Sarah Albee in the I Can Read series. These step-up books are ideal for children developing their reading skills.
Albee presents the life of Martin Luther King Jr. in chronological order. We see his early life and the loving King family surrounding him. His father is a minister and the family values education.
As a result, young Martin reads extensively and excels in school. So talented is the young man that he graduates from high school at 15 years old. At college, he must choose from a number of careers. Feeling called to the ministry, Martin decides to become a clergyman. After receiving his Ph.D., he begins his career as a minster accompanied by his new wife, Coretta Scott King.
However, racial prejudice is still rampant throughout the South in the 1950s. The question is how to fight racial injustice. Should people use violence or nonviolence? In his extensive studies, Rev. King becomes aware of Mahatma Gandhi’s principles of nonviolent protest. He feels this is the most effective way to change people’s hearts and attitudes.
With this, he begins his campaign to change the racial prejudices of the United States. Through protests, demonstrations, marches and arrests, Dr. King leads the nation to a new understanding of American life. Rev. King’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech in Washington D.C. immortalizes his ideas. However, prophets can be rejected in their own country. As Sarah Albee shows, Dr. King’s magnificent attempt to lessen racial prejudices will lead to his assassination.
Despite his tragic death, Dr. King remains an inspiration for contemporary America. Modelling the best Christian virtues, Rev. King led a campaign to improve society. Sarah Albee tells this story in an understandable way, which makes a fine read-aloud for young children.
The controlled vocabulary in the entire I Can Read series helps young children experience complicated world events in a nonthreatening manner, while achieving reading success. The sentence length matches the attention span of younger children. Because of the many qualities found in this book, I recommend this excellent biography to families with younger readers. They will encounter the moving life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in a format that is appropriate for their intellectual formation. I hope that you get a chance to take your youngster to the library and check out this fine biography by Sarah Albee.
