As Good as Anybody: Martin Luther King and Abraham Joshua Heschel's Amazing March Toward Freedom [Hardcover]

Richard Michelson (Author), Raul Colon (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 6 and up | Grade Level: 1 and up

MARTIN LUTHER KING, Jr. and Abraham Joshua Heschel. Their names stand for the quest for justice and equality.

Martin grew up in a loving family in the American South, at a time when this country was plagued by racial discrimination. He aimed to put a stop to it. He became a minister like his daddy, and he preached and marched for his cause.

Abraham grew up in a loving family many years earlier, in a Europe that did not welcome Jews. He found a new home in America, where he became a respected rabbi like his father, carrying a message of peace and acceptance.

Here is the story of two icons for social justice, how they formed a remarkable friendship and turned their personal experiences of discrimination into a message of love and equality for all.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Michelson (Tuttle's Red Barn) deftly draws comparisons between Martin Luther King Jr. and the German-born rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel as he describes what led them to walk together in the famous 1965 civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Ala. His brisk narrative, divided in two parts, chronicles their parallel experiences: both have parents who instill self-respect, both encounter discrimination and hatred, and both follow their fathers into religious careers. The first half, which Colón renders in earthy hues, covers King, while the blue palette of the second half focuses on Heschel. (Blue reminded the illustrator of "old movies about Europe in the World War II era.") Similar language in both sections, e.g., the titular "You are just as good as anybody," as well as scenes that echo each other, drive home the connections. Subtle variations in wording and layout keep the parallels from feeling contrived. Colón's (My Mama Had a Dancing Heart) trademark mixed-media illustrations incorporate wavy, etched lines full of movement, suggesting the dynamism of a pastor and rabbi who insisted on bringing about change. Ages 6-10.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal

Grade 2–5—An eloquent tribute to two great men and their surprising alliance. Michelson explores the kinship between the African-American Baptist minister and a Polish-born rabbi who fled Nazi Germany to teach in America. Both men were raised by wise, loving parents and followed in their fathers' footsteps. Both of them also experienced hatred and prejudice close to home. Whether the signs said "Whites Only" or "No Jews Allowed," they were equally hurtful and inspired them to strive for peace and equal rights for all. The first half of the book offers a simple, concise, and beautifully written early biography of King; the latter describes Heschel's youth. His father instructed him to "Walk like a prince, not a peasant….You are as good as anybody," echoing the words of King's mother. He answered Dr. King's call and joined the 1965 March to Montgomery with 25,000 others. Colón's signature soft, colored pencil and watercolor illustrations capture the anger and passion of the times. This exemplary introduction to the Civil Rights Movement will appeal to a wide audience. Its message will inspire and unite readers from many backgrounds.—Barbara Auerbach, New York City Public Schools
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers; First Edition edition (May 13, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375833358
• ISBN-13: 978-0375833359
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 0.4 x 11.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #279,471 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #35 in Books > Children's Books > Biographies > Social Activists
  • #57 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( K ) > King, Martin Luther

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Civil rights, Martin Luther King Jr., and the American melting-pot, May 13, 2008

By 

DJ Joe Sixpack (...in Middle America) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: As Good as Anybody: Martin Luther King and Abraham Joshua Heschel's Amazing March Toward Freedom (Hardcover)

This is a good nonfiction picturebook for older children interested in the American civil rights movement of the 1950s and '60s. It compares the lives of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, a Polish Jew who fled the Holocaust as a young man and came to the United States, where he was drawn into the civil rights movement, and became one of MLK's allies in the Jewish community. Both men were bright, articulate and charismatic, and they were both motivated by their sensitivity to injustice, which they saw plenty of in their own young lives. The book shows how people from different cultures and divergent faiths can join together for a common good, and transcend the differences that are often used to keep people apart. Although their religious faith is mentioned, it is used in a restrained, tasteful way, making the book accessible to more secular or nondenominationally-oriented readers. Good starting point for a 20th Century civics/history lesson. (ReadThatAgain children's book reviews)

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An uplifting and different kinds of civil rights story., July 11, 2008

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: As Good as Anybody: Martin Luther King and Abraham Joshua Heschel's Amazing March Toward Freedom (Hardcover)

A Baptist preacher from Atlanta and a rabbi born in Poland join forces in the name of justice and share a personal knowledge of oppression and a dream of civil rights which turns into a positive movement for change. AS GOOD AS ANYBODY provides a powerful story of how two men's experiences with discrimination changed their lives, and makes for an uplifting and different kinds of civil rights story.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 2009 Sydney Taylor Book Award Winner for Younger Readers, January 7, 2009

By 

STBAC Past Chair "Kathe Pinchuck" (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: As Good as Anybody: Martin Luther King and Abraham Joshua Heschel's Amazing March Toward Freedom (Hardcover)

Two very special clergymen, one a rabbi, the other an African-American reverend are raised in divergently different countries yet experience similar levels of persecution and bigotry that will one day bring them together as colleagues in America's struggle for civil rights. The little boy, Martin, is angry at the "Whites Only" laws and signs around his Southern home, but his father wisely teaches him to look up instead of down and "the way things are is not the way they always have to be." His mother assures him he is "just as good as anybody!" In the pre-Nazi era Poland of Abraham's childhood, anti-Jewish sentiment is already spreading with "No Jews" signage and the public burning of Jewish books. Emulating his father, Abraham studies and prays with him, but when he wishes to learn more, he is barred from formal schooling by Hitler's laws. Leaving for America, Abraham speaks out for peace and equal rights, reminding everyone "God did not make a world with just one color flower. We are all made in God's image." Michelson focuses on a much forgotten yet significant moment in American civil rights history when "Jews and Christians joined hands" to march together as black and white Americans. Led by the great Reverend King Jr. and distinguished Rabbi Heschel, similar values and ideals are delineated with soft textured colored pencil and watercolor illustrations. Colon uses brown/yellow tones depicting early Southern scenes against blue/greens for European pre-war images. Both settings come together in final pages highlighting a blending of skin tones with all races linked in a march for equality. Powerful as well as thought-provoking to engage in discussion of unity and the need to find common ground in a nation's divisive history.REVIEWED BY RITA SOLTAN - WEST BLOOMFIELD, MI