Christine King FarrisReseñas

This book is recommended for intermediate students. This book depicts the life of MLK through his sister's lens. In my future classroom, I would use this book to show why MLK and the civil rights movement as a whole took the steps forward they had to.

This book tells the story of Martin Luther King Junior as his sister remembers his life and the hardships of their life growing up African American in America during the time of separation. This heart wrenching story gives you insight to the childhood that Dr. King had and the prejudice he faced. I would recommend this read aloud to older third or fourth graders.

"In the years since his death, too many biographers of Martin Luther King Jr. have made him so much larger than life that to the current generation of children he has become more of an idealized heroic icon than a real person. By sharing her memories of their childhood, Farris has opened a window to show Martin as a small boy in a loving extended family, a sometime prankster, protected for a while from the harsh reality of racism. When that reality became impossible to ignore, he and his brother and sister have the example of the strong faith, the encouragement, and the strength of their parents to guide them. Young Martin promises his mother that he will be an agent for change, that he will one day “turn this world upside down.” Farris tells the story simply and gently, remembering Martin as her little brother and as the man who indeed turned the world upside down. Soenpiet’s (Dear Santa, Please Come to the 19th Floor, p. 1628, etc.) watercolors are both meticulous in their detail and beautifully expressive of the family’s emotions. Farris’s afterword, graced by childhood photos of Martin, further explains her need to share these memories. A poem by Mildred D Johnson, written in 1968, is included as a reminder that all children have the potential for greatness. A very welcome addition to the King story. (illustrator note) (Picture book/biography. 6-10)"

Christine King Farris shares some of her childhood experiences with her famous brother, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in this lovely work of picture-book biography. From the mischievous fun that she and her two brothers, M.L. (Martin Luther) and A.D. (Alfred Daniel) would get up to together, to the role of their grandparents in helping to raise them, this is a book full of family love. It is also a book about the injustice of segregation, which made itself felt early in the lives of the King children, growing up in Atlanta, Georgia. In a particularly poignant anecdote, Farris describes how she and her brothers would play with all the local children, including the sons of a white storeowner, until they were separated by race. She goes on to describe how her brother worked throughout his life to "turn this world upside down," challenging the evils of racism and segregation, to build a world where all are treated justly, and where all children can play together, regardless of race...

After finding Doreen Rappaport and Bryan Collier's Martin's Big Words such a deeply flawed book (see my review for more details), I have recently been thinking about which other picture-books about Martin Luther King, Jr. I would recommend in its place. Last week was Martin Luther King, Jr. Day here in the states, and I decided to request My Brother Martin: A Sister Remembers Growing Up with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to honor the occasion. It came in a little late, but I am nevertheless very glad to have read it. Not only does it offer a unique perspective on the childhood of one of America's most celebrated sons, but it delivers where the Rappaport/Collier title fails, in embodying the ideals of its subject matter. Given that this is a book which focuses on King's youth, and is in turn meant for the young, I thought the depiction of how racial segregation effected young people and their friendships was particularly on point. The story involving the erstwhile white friends of the King children was terribly sad, but the conclusion of the book, showing a black and white child running together hand in hand, offers hope, as well as a celebration of the changes that have occurred in American society. I really appreciated this approach, and think it makes for a wonderfully child-centered narrative about King and his vision.

When I think of the toxic discourse surrounding race that is becoming ever more common in some progressive circles these days - Ekow N. Yankah's recent New York Times editorial questioning whether it was possible for his children to have white friends springs to mind, in this regard - I also think this book highlights how far we have fallen from that vision. Still, the dream is not lost, and hope spring eternal. Farris' book is one that celebrates and promulgates that dream, and is one I would wholeheartedly recommend to any picture-book readers seeking titles about MLK. Not only is it both educational and well-told, it features lovely artwork from illustrator Chris Soentpiet. For my part, I think I will keep on exploring the picture-books about Martin Luther King, Jr. that are available, to build up a body of works that I can recommend, in this area.½

This book was already something I wanted to read because it was about Martin Luther King Jr. Reading the point of view of her sister for a child's perspective. It shows his compassion to change the words and also their experiences growing up to make a difference.

Martin Luther King Jr. is one of my favorite Civil Right Movement leaders of all time. The amount of effort he put in to changing the world, and the influence he had on bringing rights to the African American community is very inspiring. Martin Luther King Jr worked tirelessly to change the vision of the nation and bring everyone of every color, gender, and race together. This biography of Dr. King is from his sister, so she may have had one of the best insights into the type of person he was, and the amount of energy he put into this movement. Dr. King was someone who always preached love over hatred and gave every ounce of himself in attempts to bring a nation together and give everyone equal rights.

I really liked this book! It shows his determination and willingness to change the world and "turn the world upside down". During parts of his childhood he experienced the concept of segregation. His family made a big impact on his life, especially his dad. His dad stood up for himself, his family, and what he believed in. Dr. King did the same thing. I would recommend this book for grades 2-6.

This book is about Martin Luther King Jr and his sister. She gives a more descriptive idea about their childhood together.
media- oil paint ??

This story is about the family of Martin Luther King Jr., told by his sister. This is a biography, and it talks about how the King siblings grew up with their parents working, and how their grandmother was often their caretaker during the day.It talked about how the young children saw nothing wrong with the color of their skin, until one day when their friends were no longer able to play with them due to this reason. From then on, the book described the battles the family faced in regard to racial segregation and discrimination. The story finished with his sister stated how he had a Dream.

This book is about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and it is told by his sister. I have always enjoyed learning about black history and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The reading levels for this story are grades fourth through sixth.

This book is very cool, its told though martian luther king jr.s sister. this book shares how his sister saw everything. I would dread this book to 2-5 when teaching about martian luther king jr. and slavery and rights.

A great book to give information about MLK and have students examine MLK's life.

Review: I really enjoyed this book because it offers another perspective of MLK Jr.'s life. It humanizes him as more than just a social justice hero, but also a person who was a mischievous child, suffered prejudice and unfairness from a young age, and decided to begin changing the world before he ever became famous. It gives courage to kids who are afraid to stand up for what they believe in and shows any reader what conviction looks like for a cause they believe in.

Critique: This book is great to use when introducing the Civil Rights movement to students. It is human, fun, and brings up difficult topics that are usually hard to explore no matter the audience.

Lesson Activity: Write a letter to Martin Luther King Junior's sister. What would you like to ask her about how she grew up and how she feels about her brother and his famous movement?

I found this book in a textbook in a fourth grade classroom but can be found on Amazon as well. It is a good book to pair with any other biography of Martin Luther King, Jr. because of the included personal details that could only be added by someone who knew Dr. King personally. Students were able to make these connects and provided textual evidence when needed. Overall, for a story that is include in a textbook, it was pretty good.

Summary: Told by the point of view of MLK's sister, she tells about her and her brothers' childhood, their experiences in life, and their family. She talks about MLK as he grew up into a man, and how he fought to see his dream come true.

I use this around MLK day

Summary: “March On”, Is the biography of Martin Luther King Jr. The book was written by his sister Christine King Farris. The book gives detailed information of the events that took place which lead to the March in Washington. The book talks about Mrs. King growing up hoping that white people would do the right thing and freeing the African American’s from the hatred and violence that they were suffering from. This book discusses Martin Luther King's famous march in 1963 where he delivered "I Have a Dream", speech in Washington.

Personal Reaction: I enjoyed this book; it is very informative for all type of readers. The book can definitely be useful to discussing the Civil Rights movement.

Classroom Extension:
1. The teacher can discuss the Civil Rights movement with the class, talk about the people who were marching and why they were marching.
2. Have students write their own speech of what they would say, and why they chose to say that.

I had mixed feelings about this book. I liked it because it was told from Martin Luther King, Jr.’s sister’s point of view, giving a new outlook on what MLK was like as a child. This book was not the typical biography, stating facts about Martin’s adult life and his dream. Rather, this book told more about what happened before he became a civil rights activist. The author depicts him and his siblings as typical kids pulling pranks such as loosening the legs on the piano bench. This allows students to make connections to their own experiences, seeing that such a powerful man was once just like them. I also liked the fact that many of the ideas raised in this book were powerful and elicited a strong emotional response. For instance, when Martin and his siblings realized that their white friends could no longer play with them because they were black, Martin said to his mother, “Mother dear, one day I am going to turn this world upside down.” I did not like, however, the fact that the book was a little wordy. It sometimes shared too much information about unimportant events such as where they were born and lived. Due to the fact that it only briefly touched upon civil rights laws and historical information, this book would not be a great resource to use solely to help students write a biography of Martin Luther King, Jr. Finally, the introduction and afterword were very touching to me, but I believe that their meaning and weight would be lost on children. The big idea of this book was to inform people about the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

This is a biography about Martin Luther King that is told through the eyes of his older sister. This book was very informational and interesting and I could use it in my classroom as a way to introduce Martin Luther King and the equality movement. This book is suitable for the grades 1-3 and could be used in the theme equality.

This book shares childhood stories told from the viewpoint of Martin Luther King's older sister. She shares some of the funny and mischievous things MLK would do.

The poetic form is well done and allows for the book to be used in a variety of formats in the classroom. The playfulness of the book is very nice and paints MLK in a great light. More than anything I have to praise the ILLUSTRATIONS! They are wonderful! I got this book at the book store at the MLK National Historical Park in Atlanta, Georgia in the house next door to MLK's childhood home. The illustrations are almost like photographs of what can be seen at the site, including the fire station across the street and the row houses across the street.

The only that bugs me is a format error in the poem in the back! I wonder if you will catch it. But it bugs me SO BAD!

Overall, a good piece for the classroom shining light on a wonderful hero that all children should learn about.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book because of the first-hand account from King’s sister, illustrations, and the message. It was nice to read about Martin Luther King Jr. from his sister’s point of view and what it was like to grow up together as young children. I enjoyed learning about King as someone’s mischievous little brother who scared adults with his grandmother’s fur piece and other funny anecdotes. The illustrations in the book brought the story to life. I especially liked the illustration at the end depicting a little white girl and black girl holding hands, laughing, and playing. A book is always more enjoyable when it makes you think, and this book made me think of little Martin the boy and how he grew into Martin the man. “My Brother Martin” drives home the message of how it felt to grow up in this country during the era of segregation and how a little boy grew up to fight those injustices and “turned the world upside down”.

This book is very unique because it is written by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's sister. Through MLK's sister, we are able to see a whole different side to the famous story of MLK. We are provided with insight into MLK's personal character, and how he prepared to deliver his "I Have a Dream Speech". It is interesting to read about how MLK felt on the day he changed the world. The illustrations paint us a "behind the scenes" picture.

This story was told by a very credible source Christine King Farris, the sister of Martin Luther King, Jr. She shared his story from childhood to the March on Washington. She gave insight into his personality that only she or very close members of her family could have. It is a fresh perspective of his story. She includes an Author’s Note which gives more details on the March on Washington. The illustrations were very strong. The illustrator used bold colors and the he did a great job of depicting the struggle on the faces of the characters within the story. Teaching ideas include a social studies 3-5 grade class and a unit on Dr. King or civil rights.

This informational picture storybook, written by Martin Luther King, Jr.’s sister, tells the story of MLK, Jr., and the March on Washington from his sister’s perspective. The painted pictures are beautiful and assist the story in its purpose: to describe MLK’s organizing, speech writing, and leading the March on Washington. The author went into details about music that was played before the King’s most famous speech. I would recommend this book to other people; I think knowing more about the impact of MLK is important for everyone.

Martin Luther King's sister, Christine King Farris wrote this book. The book starts with the people who traveled from big and small cities all over the United States to march and hear Martin Luther King's speech in Washington in 1963. The book gives detailed information of the events that took place and lead too the March. From preparing his speech the night before too standing on the Capitol steps, this book shows that all we need is one person to inspire us and everyone will follow.