Here is a selection of books from our collection about the history and celebration of the Dr. Martin Luther King Day holiday, including biographical stories about Dr. King, his colleagues, and others who worked for civil rights. We strive to include as much varied racial/cultural representation as possible, but these lists also reflect what is available on the market.
These titles are only a sample of what you can find in our full collection. To see more, go to Search the Collection and use the search box to search for “Martin Luther King,” or the names of any other civil rights leaders.
Be a king
"You can be a King. Stamp out hatred. Put your foot down and walk tall. You can be a King. Beat the drum for justice. March to your own conscience. Featuring a dual narrative of the key moments of Dr. King’s life alongside a modern class as the students learn about him, Carole Weatherfor’s poetic text encapsulates the moments that readers today can reenact in their own lives. See a class of young students as they begin a school project inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and learn to follow his example, as he dealt with adversity and never lost hope that a future of equality and justice would soon be a reality. As times change, Dr. King’s example remains, encouraging a new generation of children to take charge and change the world … to be a King." –|cProvided by publisher
Coretta Scott
This extraordinary union of poetry and monumental artwork captures the movement for civil rights in the United States, and honors it’s most elegant inspiration, Coretta Scott
Dolores Huerta
An illustrated look at the life and accomplishments of Dolores Huerta, who fought to ensure fair and safe work places for migrant workers. Includes a timeline and resources for teachers
I have a dream
Presents illustrations and the text of the speech given by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on August 28, 1963, at the Lincoln Memorial, in which he described his visionary dream of equality and brotherhood for humankind
Let the children march
Under the leadership of Dr. Martin Luther King, children and teenagers march against segregation in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1963.
Love will see you through
The niece of Martin Luther King Jr. reveals six timeless and universal principles that encompass the civil rights leader’s greatest legacy, reinforcing the truth that "the universe honors love."
Martin & Mahalia
Explores the intersecting lives of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. and gospel singer Mahalia Jackson at the historic moment when their joined voices inspired landmark changes
Memphis, Martin, and the mountaintop
This historical fiction picture book presents the story of nine-year-old Lorraine Jackson through prose and poetry. In 1968 she witnessed the Memphis sanitation strike–Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s final stand for justice before his assassination–when her father, a sanitation worker, participated in the protest.
Rosa’s bus
The story of an ordinary bus… until a woman named Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat, which became a pivotal event in the Civil Rights movement. Follows the bus’s history from the streets of Montgomery to the Henry Ford Museum
Seeds of freedom
Mention the Civil Rights era in Alabama, and most people recall images of terrible violence. But something different was happening in Huntsville. For the citizens of that city, creativity, courage, and cooperation were the keys to working together to integrate their city and schools in peace. In an engaging celebration of this lesser-known chapter in American and African-American history, author Hester Bass and illustrator E. B. Lewis show children how racial discrimination, bullying, and unfairness can be faced successfully with perseverance and ingenuity
Side by side
Something special happened when Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez met. Together, they fought for the rights of countless farmworkers. Side by side, inspiring hope, they changed history.
Sit-in
"This picture book is a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the momentous Woolworth’s lunch counter sit -in, when four college students staged a peaceful protest that became a defining moment in the struggle for racial equality and the growing civil rights movement"– Amazon.com
Someday is now
Presents the life of Clara Luper, an African-American teacher and local civil rights leader who taught her students about equality and led them in lunch counter sit-in demonstrations in Oklahoma City in 1958.
Voice of freedom
Presents a collage-illustrated treasury of poems and spirituals inspired by the life and work of civil rights advocate Fannie Lou Hamer
We march
Illustrations and brief text portray the events of the 1963 march in Washington, D.C., where the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. delivered a historic speech
We shall overcome
Traces the history of the inspiring anthem and explains how it has come to represents the right for equality and freedom around the world.
