My Dream of Martin Luther King (Dragonfly Books) [Paperback]

Faith Ringgold (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up | Series: Dragonfly Books

Now in Dragonfly--from the acclaimed creator of the Caldecott Honor Book Tar Beach comes a personal and captivating portrait of the life of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Faith Ringgold had a dream about Martin Luther King. Simply narrated in her own voice, Ringgold--award-winning creator of Tar Beach and Aunt Harriet's Underground Railroad in the Sky paints a vivid, powerful picture of King's childhood and strong family life, along with glimpses of prejudice, segregation, and protest. Her vision blurs dreamily into King's adult life--from his family, to protests of Rosa Parks's arrest, even to his assassination: "This time we had come to mourn Martin Luther King's death by trading in bags containing our prejudice, hate, ignorance, violence, and fear for the slain hero's dream. We emptied the bags onto a great pile, and as the last bag was dumped, the pile exploded into a fire so bright that it lit up the whole world. There, emblazoned across the sky, were the words: EVERY GOOD THING STARTS WITH A DREAM." Illustrated with Ringgold's dramatic folk-modern paintings, My Dream of Martin Luther King is one of the most creative, successful, accessible tributes to Martin Luther King for children that we've seen. (Ages 4 to 8) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

In a starred review, PW called this an "innovative and stirring" biography, which offers a "personal, heartfelt interpretation of King's legacy" through a boy's recounted dream. Ages 5-8.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Dragonfly Books (December 7, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0517885778
• ISBN-13: 978-0517885772
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 0.1 x 12.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #424,945 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #51 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Nonfiction > Social Sciences > Political Science > General
  • #73 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Reference & Nonfiction > Politics & Government
  • #94 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( K ) > King, Martin Luther

More About the Author

Faith Ringgold was born in Harlem in 1930. She received a degree in art education from the City College of New York and was an art teacher long before she became a professional artist. She is best known for her 'painted story quilts,' some of which hang in the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City. Tar Beach, RinggoldÕs first book for children, won the Coretta Scott King Award for illustration and was named a Caldecott Honor Book. Ringgold is now a professor of art at the University of California at San Diego. She lives in California and in New Jersey.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully illustrated and well written, August 12, 2000

By 

VERA BAUER (Wheeling, WV USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: My Dream of Martin Luther King (Dragonfly Books) (Paperback)

This beautifully illustrated and well written book was a must have for my daughters library. She's a new teacher and a lover of good books. What a delight to buy this book for her!

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a unique approach to telling the story of MLK, Jr., April 19, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: My Dream of Martin Luther King (Hardcover)

I'm a huge Faith Ringgold fan. This book is very good as expected, but my only complaint is that it is a little too abstract for the target age group (ages 4-8). For example, the kids were confused at the picture of MLK in jail as an infant and the people burning their "baggage". BUT, unique it is... just definitely in need of adult commentary.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Facinating book on Martin Luther King Jr.!, January 18, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: My Dream of Martin Luther King (Hardcover)

Students were very absorbed in this book. They found the story exciting and it stimulated a great discussion. The idea that someone could dream about Martin Luther King Jr. and see him as a child and then as an adult allowed students to think about how different dreams are from reality. Students were anxious to borrow the book and share it with their families.