10 Books to Teach Kids about the Civil Rights Movement
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Happy Martin Luther King Day!!! I hope you are enjoying this holiday with your family. I’m so thankful for all of the people who have put in the work to make this county a better place for all people. I can’t imagine the amount of strength and courage that it took for people to keep fighting to ensure that we could make it to where we are today. Thankfully, there were so many brave men, women, boys, and girls who never gave up. One of those brave individuals was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and I’m happy that we have a national holiday observed to remember his legacy.
I love reading about history and I love to read my children books about history too. So we will be spending the day reading some books about Dr. King and others who fought for civil rights. So, I thought I would share some children’s books that are about Dr. Martin Luther King and others who bravely worked to truly make this country great.
Heroes for Civil Rights by David A. Adler illustrated by Bill Farnsworth
I am Martin Luther King Jr. by Brad Meltzer illustrated by Christoper Eliopoulos
Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hammer by Carole Boston Weatherford illustrated by Ekua Holmes
The Story of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by Johnny Rae Moore illustrated by Amy Wummer
Child of the Civil Rights Movement by Paula Young Shelton illustrated by Raul Colon
The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles
Rosa by Nikki Giovanni illustrated by Brian Collier
Cracking the Wall: The Struggles of the Little Rock Nine by Eileen Lucas
4 Comments
I remember reading books about the civil rights and asking questions as a youngster. I just didn’t understand why people could treat others differently simply because of the color of their skin. It wasn’t fair, and eight-year-old Mary wasn’t having it! I argued with teachers, church people and my parents, little did I know my arguing wouldn’t make a difference. It’s something I have to deal with on a daily basis but I love the fact that I was a rebel and thought I could change the world with my eight-year-old reasoning. These look like great books Sonya!
Thank you for this. Scarlet is SUCH a Ruby Bridges fan – she read a whole book on her.
Like Mary, I argued with adults. I couldn’t understand why anyone would care about skin color . I will never understand it, actually.
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Thanks for sharing some books that I didn’t know about. I have a few off of these lists but now I have a few more great ones to add.
I’m glad you enjoyed the list and I hope you enjoy the books too! 🙂