In this book, Faith Ringgold describes her unique dream about Martin Luther King, Jr. This dream includes various scenes throughout Martin's life, including his childhood, boycott of segregations, all the way up to his assassination. My favorite part was when the author discussed her vision of seeing everyone of all race, religion and age coming in with their bags full of prejudice, hate, ignorance in exchange for love, hope, and peace. ( )

Summery:

This book is about Faith Ringgold's dream of her hero Martin Luther King Jr. This book takes the reader back in time and reflects on the struggles and victories of King. While some aspects of the story are not particularly true the majority are factual. This book offers an opportunity for the reader to learn about the dedication one man had to unite the country based off peace instead of diversity and hate.

Personal Reaction:

This book was a great read. It offered several facts and opinions of Martin Luther King Jr. The book takes the reader back in time and reflects on his victories and struggles with unifying the country.

Classroom Extension:

1. Have the students write a summery over Martin Luther King's famous speech, "I have a Dream". Have the students explain why King chose some of the word and references he did.
2.Have students create their own "I have a Dream" speech. They can write a speech on what they want to change in the classroom, their hometown, or even the world.
3. Have students deliver their speech in front of the classroom. ( )

In this book, the narrator recalls a dream she had about the Civil Rights movement and leader. The dream explains points of MLK’s childhood and adulthood, as well as major events that happened throughout his life and how he rose to become the great leader he was. I loved the way this story was portrayed. It was a very creative outlook on MLK’s life because it was told and recalled from a dream. I also enjoyed learning about the author's own personal opinions about the historic events in the book, because her voice was clearly expressed throughout the reading. The main message of the book itself is vague because it is telling about true events, but Martin Luther King's main message was to gain equality for all people. ( )

This was a great Biography. The author created the plot in a creative and engaging way. She introduced historical facts and events about Martin Luther King through a dream that a little girl had, “ I rarely remember my dreams. However, one day while watching a television program about Martin Luther King, Jr., I slept and had a dream I will never forget.” The way that the story is created is very engaging. It is a great way to introduce a powerful and influential topic/man to children of a young age. The main message of this book is facts and information about Martin Luther King, Jr. ( )

In this story Faith Ringgold (the author) portrays Martin Luther Kings story by reciting it in her own vision. There are three reasons I liked this book. First, the story teaches a great lesson and shows children that they should always stand up for what they believe in and what they believe is right. Facing many struggles, Martin Luther King stood up for his rights as a citizen and wouldn’t give up until he had the rights he deserved. This leaves students with an important message. Never give up until you achieve the goal you’re striving for. Next, the descriptive language within this book really depicts the hardships people faced throughout this time period. For example, “They attacked them with dogs and beat them with cattle prods. Drenched, rages, and bleeding, the crowd stopped marching and signing.” Lastly, I thought the last page of the book was amazing. The last page covered the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. There was a list of dates on this page that highlighted important events in his life. Overall, the main idea of this book is stand up for what you want and make your dreams come true. ( )