Price: $34.95 - $8.86
(as of Apr 19, 2025 01:34:06 UTC – Details)
Martin Luther King Jr., the inspiring civil rights leader, is profiled in a riveting graphic novel!
See how Martin’s early experiences and beliefs shaped him into the leader of the Civil Rights movement and a martyr in the fight for equal rights. Help older children learn about some of the most exciting men and women who have ever lived and present it in a way that they’ll actually enjoy! Our Great Lives series is one of our entries in the growing field of nonfiction graphic books. Each book follows the lives of scientists, artists, and activists that made enormous contributions to the world. Following these people from their early childhood days right up until their most extraordinary achievements, kids will discover the many incredible ways that they have impacted our world. These books offer a wonderful way to engage reluctant readers–and create a lifelong reader instead.
From the Publisher
About the Author and Illustrators
Rachel Ruiz is the author of seven children’s books, including her debut picture book, When Penny Met POTUS. Rachel was inspired to write her first book after working for Barack Obama in 2012.
Fiona W. Dunn is a North Carolina-based illustrator and comics creator. She graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design in 2017.
Sarah Skeate graduated from Kingston University with a degree in Illustration in 2000. She has become a successful illustrator of several arts and crafts titles.
Great Lives: Martin Luther King Jr.
A Graphic History of America’s Great Civil Rights Leader
This is the story of Martin Luther King Jr., retold as a graphic novel. Inside you’ll learn about the pivotal moments of King’s life, from his childhood in Atlanta to his leading roll in the Civil Rights movement. Martin Luther King Jr. made it his mission to struggle peacefully for the civil rights of African Americans. Even when attacked, arrested, and jailed, he did not give up; and under his inspirational leadership, African Americans won many of the civil rights he sought.
Trace the events in King’s life to understand how he became one of the most important people of the twentieth century Follow King’s life story, while also learning about the history of the Civil Rights movement in the United States
Martin Luther King Jr. Becomes a Man of the Church
In 1954, Martin was invited to become the minister of a Baptist church in Montgomery, Alabama. Both Martin and his new wife, Coretta, had grown up in the South and knew firsthand what it was like to live under segregation. Moving back South was a difficult decision, but they also knew that if they wanted to fight segregation and racism, they would have to live among the people who were most directly affected by this scourge.
Just two weeks after the birth of their first child, an incident occurred on a Montgomery city bus that would put Martin in the middle of a firestorm
In December, 1955, a 42-year old seamstress named Rosa Parks defied the bus segregation law when she refused to give up her seat to a white person. As a result of her arrest, Martin and Montgomery’s black leaders called for a bus boycott. After almost a year of boycotting the buses, the decision that everyone had been waiting for was finally announced — The U.S. Supreme Court had declared Alabama’s state and local laws requiring segregation on buses unconstitutional.
The March on Selma and the Voting Rights Act
After the Civil Rights Act had passed in 1964, many thought that life would improve for black people. But in the South, many Black Americans were still being denied the right to vote. Martin called for a massive demonstration — a 54-mile march from Selma, Alabama to the capitol of Montgomery. When Alabama Governor George Wallace got word of it, he issued a ban. On March 7th, 1965, violence erupted when Alabama State Troopers attacked the marchers on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma. The scenes of violence that were shown on TV’s across the nation was a wake-up call, and on August 6th, 1965, President Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law. Along with the Civil Rights Act, it was one of the most monumental laws ever passed in the history of American freedom.
The Legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin’s influence reached far beyond the United States. His desire to achieve change through nonviolent protest was mirrored around the world. One of the biggest examples was seen in the struggle to end apartheid in South Africa. In the U.S., one of the most impactful changes has been the fact that more African Americans are now holding positions in government. As a result, in January 2009 Barack Obama was sworn in as the first African American President of the United States of America.
A Man of the Church
The Montgomery Bus Boycott
Selma and the Fight for the Right to Vote
Martin Luther King Jr. Remembered
Publisher : B.E.S. (June 1, 2019)
Language : English
Paperback : 128 pages
ISBN-10 : 1438012055
ISBN-13 : 978-1438012056
Reading age : 9 – 12 years
Grade level : 4 – 7
Item Weight : 10.4 ounces
Dimensions : 6 x 0.5 x 9 inches
