Martin’s Big Words

Written by Doreen Rappaport

Illustrated by Bryan Collier

From the Author’s Note

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was one of the great figures of the civil rights movement. In preparing to write this book, I read biographies of him. I learned that as a child he was determined to “use big words.” I reread his autobiography, speeches, sermons, and articles. I found his “big words”  They are simple and direct, yet profound and poetic.

From the Illustrator’s Note

When I close my eyes and think about Dr. King’s life, the main image that comes to me over and over again is that of stained-glass windows in a church. For me, the windows are metaphors in a lot of ways. In the dark, they blaze out at you like beams of light. The multi-colors symbolize multi races. Stained-glass windows are also a vehicle to tell the story of Jesus. And whether you’re on the inside or the outside, windows allow you to look past where you are. I use metaphors throughout my work. The four candles in the last picture, for example, represent the four girls who were killed in the sixteenth Street Baptist church. Their light shines on.