Friday, March 02, 2018

Let The Children March

Let the Children March. Monica Clark-Robinson. Illustrated by Frank Morrison. 2018. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 40 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: One warm spring night, my family went to church. We weren't there to have regular services. We were there to hear Dr. King speak. We were there to plan. He wanted to raise an army of peaceful protesters to fight for freedom. His brown eyes flashing fire and love, Dr. King told us the time had come to march.

Premise/plot: This nonfiction picture book is about the children's crusade aspect of the civil rights movement in the 1960s. The timeline for the movement begins on the end papers. But it's probably not like the timelines you're used to seeing. Each date and fact is on a sign held by a child. A brief prologue sets the story into context:
1963. Birmingham, Alabama. I couldn't play on the same playground as the white kids. I couldn't go to their schools. I couldn't drink from their water fountains. There were so many things I couldn't do. 
The book is one answer to the question: Can I make a difference in the world? Children stepped up to become Dr. King's army and make a difference, they did!

My thoughts: I would definitely recommend this one. The narrative is well-written. It's written in the first-person giving the book a personal aspect. History is not boring--never boring--when you view it through personal lens or personalities. History is more than facts and dates to memorize. The narrative is also well-researched. The book includes an afterward, quote sources, and a bibliography.

I LOVED the illustrations. Cover-to-cover the illustrations make a visual impact on the reader. In my opinion, they capture the emotional intensity and drama of the narrative.

Text: 5 out of 5
Illustrations: 5 out of 5
Total: 10 out of 10

© 2018 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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