Be A King

Be A King: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Dream and You
by Carole Boston Weatherford
illustrated by James E. Ransome
Bloomsbury, 2018

Next Monday, the nation will pause to remember the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This new book by Carole Boston Weatherford encourages us not to simply remember Dr. King, but to live every day in a way that honors his life and work. We can each "be a King" by standing up to bullies, admitting we're wrong and apologizing, finding ways to include everyone, and by breaking "the chains of ignorance. Learn  as much as you can."

James Ransome's illustrations complement the simple text by telling the story of the children on the cover who are creating a Wall of Justice, and with historical allusions to King's life (Morehouse College, the Edmund Pettus Bridge from the March to Montgomery, a bus like the one on which Ruby Bridges refused to give up her seat.)

The epigraph says it best,

"Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve You don't have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You don't have to know about Plato and Aristotle to serve. You don't have to know Einstein's theory of relativity  to serve. You don't have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love." -- Martin Luther King, Jr.