Martin Luther King Jr Biography For Kids

“The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character, that is the goal of true education.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.

Today we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day. We honor the life of this civil rights pioneer and we look to his legacy as an inspiration for promoting equality, understanding and respect. The life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. is rich with history of some of America’s most challenging times, which can be a difficult lesson for younger students. King’s message of peace and understanding can be a powerful lesson for children of all ages, however. Today we want to highlight a special Martin Luther King Jr biography for kids, as part of our Martin Luther King Jr. Day reading list.

Martin Luther King Jr Biography For Kids

Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King Jr., by Jean Marzollo is a great Martin Luther King Jr. Biography for kids. This book offers a simple story to highlight the life of this civil rights leader in a way that even the youngest readers can understand and appreciate. This message is enhanced by beautiful pictures that will engage our young, visual thinkers.

Martin Luther King Jr Biography For Kids

Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King is available on Amazon.

Angela Johnson and illustrator Eric Velasquez use the color red to drive home a compelling story in, A Sweet Smell of Roses. This book, geared for kindergartners through second graders, follows two sisters as they sneak out of their home to follow  Martin Luther King Jr. and listen to him speak. The charcoal images in the book are punctuated with snippets of red; on a teddy bear, on the U.S. flag, and on the roses outside the girls home. This story highlights that children were also involved and shaped by the civil rights movement.

 

A Sweet Smell Of Roses is available on Amazon

A Sweet Smell Of Roses is available on Amazon

For older readers, As Good As Anybody:Martin Luther King, Jr. and Abraham Joshua Heschel’s Amazing March toward Freedom, follows the parallels in the lives of two civil rights leaders. It weaves a story of  two men of devout but different faiths as they battle discrimination on a path that would lead them to march together from Selma to Montgomery. This book is geared for grades 2 through 5.

Martin Luther King Jr biography for kids

As Good As Anybody is available on Amazon.

Finally, we look at Martin’s Big Words: The Life of  Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This picture book uses Kings own words, coupled with brilliant pictures, to help educate and inspire children on the life and legacy of Dr. King. In addition to some of Dr. Martin Luther King’s most famous speeches, the book includes a timeline of the civil rights leader’s life and a list of websites for further reading. This book is a great Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. biography for kids.

Martin's Big Words is available on Amazon

Martin’s Big Words is available on Amazon.

We hope you like our reading list to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day. We believe it is vital to help our children understand and appreciate the legacy of peace, courage and equality that the life of Dr. King represents. We hope that our lessons on critical thinking, respect and understanding will help to inspire the young minds we are entrusted with everyday. Thank you Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.