Illustrated story book about Dr. King for kids
“Martin Luther King,
Jr.: Voice for Equality!”
by James Buckley, Jr.
and YouNeek Studios
c.2018, Portable
Press
$12.99 / $17.99 Canada
96 pages
By Terri
Schlichenmeyer
The heroes in comic
books arrive in fancy
costumes.
Their heads are
ringed by bubbles that
say things like “POW!”
and “ZOOM!” and that’s
when bad guys fall like
dead twigs from a tree.
BAM! All the heroes in
comic books are superpowerful
and mighty but
here’s the thing: as you’ll
see in the new book
“Martin Luther King,
Jr.: Voice for Equality!”
by James Buckley, Jr.
and YouNeek Studios,
real heroes sometimes
quietly wear suits and
ties.
Welcome to this history
tour. Your guides
Caribbean L 38 ife, June 7–13, 2019
are Libby (a.k.a Lady Liberty,
the statue) and the
boy who will someday be
your “Uncle Sam.”
Today, they’ll take you
on a tour of the life of a
boy named Mike.
Yes, that was his
name at birth: Michael
King, Jr., but when
Mike was a boy, his
father changed both
their names to honor
a religious man. That
was also when Martin
Luther King, Sr. decided
to become a minister.
Later, Martin Luther
King Jr. did, too.
Back then, young
King knew that it was
wrong to deny someone
their rights, based on
the color of their skin.
As a child, he vowed to
do something about Jim
Crow laws someday but it
wasn’t until he was older
and visited Connecticut
that he learned what it
was like not to be segregated.
That trip changed
his focus: he was still a
man of God, but he’d use
his talents as speechmaker
and leader to gain
civil rights for African
Americans.
It wasn’t easy.
King’s house was
bombed and, although
his family was safe, it was
scary. His followers and
friends were beaten and
bloodied in fields, on the
streets, and in marches.
His life was threatened
and that landed him in
the hospital once.
And yet, King never
gave up; he persevered
by reaching out to politicians
and other influential
people who could
help the cause. He
planned and marched,
even though there were
times when he was just
plain tired. And he did it
until the day he died on
a hotel balcony, killed by
a man with a gun…
Kids who struggle to
read, or who claim they
don’t like to read may
change their tune with
“Martin Luther King, Jr.:
Voice for Equality!” Parents
take note: this isn’t
your old-school stuffy
history book.
Using the younger
versions of two historical
icons, author
James Buckley, Jr. tells
the story of Dr. King
through comic-book-like
illustration and balloontext,
mediums that are
familiar to both readers
and reluctant readers.
Inherently, that makes
this a tale kids can relate
to, but Buckley Jr. also
uses modern language
that children understand,
which helps get
them involved by subtly
including them in
the emotions inside the
story. Crisp illustrations
by YouNeek Studios then
keeps them engaged.
That makes this a
story that could turn
a middle-schooler’s
groans into smiles this
summer, while it’ll still
appeal to kids who love
books. For either kind
of child in your home,
“Martin Luther King,
Jr.: Voice for Equality!”
is a book they’ll ZOOM!
through.
Book cover of “Show Me History,” by James
Buckley.