My Daddy, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr

K-Gr 2—King's remembrance of his father is an intimate introduction to the civil rights leader, revealing happy family moments as well as fear and personal pain amid the turbulence engulfing the nation in the 1960s. Kids will enjoy and perhaps identify with the playful interactions between "Marty" and his dad, who would put his son on top of the refrigerator and then catch him in his arms. Contrasting such warm memories are those of the King children hearing on the radio about their father's arrest and enduring bigotry at their new, integrated school. King's son is frank about the ugly clashes of the Civil Rights Movement, but he writes about them in an age-appropriate manner. The style is simple and conversational, as though the author were chatting with readers, reinforcing the personal spirit of the book. His effort to share some of the legendary leader's life as a private citizen makes his father approachable and real, a nice beginning to the relationship students will have with the influential man in their American history classes. It also provides an important firsthand account of the agony and frustration of prejudice experienced by many African American families. Ford's artwork is laudable, but in some illustrations, the heads of Dr. King and his wife are disproportionately large and oddly rendered. Overall, though, the forthrightness of Ford's palette and technique complement the text.—Alyson Low, Fayetteville Public Library, AR