Review of What is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day?
by Caleb Powell (with a little help from Mommy and Daddy)


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In the book, What is Martin Luther King, Jr., Day? four friends are talking about what they are going to do on their holiday from school the next day which is Martin Luther King, Jr., Day. One of them, Ben, is going to go skating. Amy is going to stay home. Daniel and Janet are going to go to a parade. Amy asks, "What kind of parade?"

Amy and Ben want to learn more about Martin Luther King, Jr., so Daniel invites them to his house after school to find out all about this important man and why there is a holiday and parade on his birthday. Daniel and Janet tell Amy and Ben so many things about what Dr. King did to help blacks get treated fairly. They explain what "equal" means, like in equal rights.

Daniel and Janet say that some of the things Dr. King worked hard to change was where blacks could sit on the bus since they were not allowed to sit in the front rows like whites. Ben and Amy also learn that blacks could not drink from the same water fountains as whites, or use the same restrooms, or eat at the same restaurants, or work at the same jobs.

They talk about Martin Luther King, Jr., as a boy, too. They say he was born in a two-story house in Atlanta, Georgia, and that Dr. King's father was a minister who taught his children to treat people fairly, a lesson that turned into Dr. King's dream. There are pictures in the book of the house that Martin Luther King, Jr., grew up in and there's a picture of him with his parents, grandmother and brother and sister, too. There are a lot of pictures in this book about Dr. King's life.

Daniel and Janet tell their friends that after Dr. King was shot by a man who did not like him, people who loved Dr. King wanted to keep working for the things Dr. King was trying to make better and they wanted his birthday to be a national holiday. But, it wasn't until 15 years after Martin Luther King, Jr., died that his birthday, January 15, became a national holiday on the third Monday in January.

At the end of the story, Amy and Ben decide that they want to go to the parade with Daniel and Janet instead of going skating and staying home. Daniel and Janet say to them, "By marching together, we will be keeping Dr. King's dream alive."

I wonder what the world would be like if Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., wasn't born! I asked my Mommy where she got this book. When she told me, I told her, "Good choice!"




Caleb is an energetic 8 year old. He says, "I like to play football, basketball and soccer, and I like doing multiplication." Caleb enjoys real-life math by studying his team's statistics after each game. He was recently awarded the "MVP and Most Unselfish" medal for his team's Fall 2003 soccer season.




January 11, 2004