Martin's Big Words

     The book Martin's Big Words, by Doreen Rappaport was awarded the Coretta Scott King Award and a Caldecott Honor Award. The book very briefly covers the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. from his boyhood to his death. The author shows how King's convictions were shaped early on by his reading of the Bible, his father's preaching, and his observation of how Ghandi modeled how nonviolent resistance can win against oppression.  From his childhood, King wanted to use 'big words' like his father.  Little did he know at the time, that his words would shape American history. The author craftily uses quotes from King's life to share with the reader pivotal events like the Montgomery bus boycott, protests, bombings, threats, speeches, his winning of a Nobel Peace Prize, and ultimately his shooting and death.  Through each event and struggle, the reader sees the character, integrity, intelligence, and perseverance of King. 
     I must say that my prior knowledge of Dr. King highly influenced my thoughts on this book. While in college I read a lot about Dr. King's life because I did a research paper over his life. During this time in my life, I came to revere and appreciate King's character, discipline, and struggle.  I remember thinking about how he was just the right man at the right time in history.  Though not a perfect man, as none of us are, he showed how the wisdom of the Bible, if applied with humility, can be a powerful force in this world. He proved to the world that love is the only thing that can drive out hate and that nonviolence can throw off the shackles of oppression. So, after this experience, I looked forward to reading this book.  I must say that I was not pleased with the oversimplification of King's life, even though I do recognize that simplification is necessary to a great extent due to the nature of children's book writing.  However, I wish the book was a bit longer so that it could do more justice to Dr. King's life.  This being said, I do believe this to be a great introductory book for young children.  I recommend this book to be used in social studies on Dr. King's birthday.  It is simple enough to teach children about his life, but contains just enough key historical information that students can begin to understand King's role in the civil rights movement.