Martin's Big Words

            The life of Martin Luther King, Jr. has been written many times in many different ways.  So what makes Dorreen Rappaport's book, Martin's Big Words, so different?  She does not just look at his life, she looks at the words that he spoke that were so powerful.  This book was a Caldecott Honor Book in 2001, as well as a Coretta Scott King Award Honor Book, and The New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book of 2001.  I can honestly say that this is one of the simplest yet most powerful picture books I have ever read.  I feel like this is as close to perfection as any book can get, and I would love to read the books that won the Coretta Scott King Award and the Caldecott Award over this book, because it is amazing.

            This book tells the story of Martin Luther King Jr.'s life and gives you quotes at the end of most pages.  When young Martin sees signs in his hometown that say "white only," his mother tells him "You are as good as anyone.”  Martin becomes a preacher and speaks of love, not hate.  This book tells students that Dr. King made a conscious choice of love and peace over violence and hate.  This book also talks about Rosa Parks’ decision to not stand up and move from her spot on a Montgomery bus in 1955, and the 381 days that followed when the black citizens of Montgomery decided they would rather walk everywhere they had to go instead of being forced to humiliation and denigration.  The King quote that follows this section says "When the history books are written, someone will say there lived black people who had the courage to stand up for their rights."  I love this quote, because this is exactly what has happened.  The phrasing of this text is one of its greatest strengths.  Dorreen Rappaport is very succinct and precise with her word choice, and I love it.  The sentences are short, but they are powerful.  I think that her focus on words in the title, the concept of the book, and the actual words she includes, sends out a message.  I feel like this book tells the reader that their words matter and that what they have to say can be a very powerful thing.  It also lets the reader know that words can make a change without any violence.  The last two pages of this book made me cry.  I do not know if I have ever really cried over a picture book before.  Her words, as well as the accompanying illustrations, were just that moving and that powerful for me.

            The collage work in this book done by Bryan Collier in this book helps to complete the powerful feeling.  I do not think that the illustrations could work without the text, and I do not think that the text could work without the illustrations.  I know that oftentimes authors have no say over the illustrations in their books, but I have to think that there was some collaboration between the two because it is such a perfect match.  Bryan Collier wrote an Illustrator's Note at the beginning of the book.  Instead of trying to summarize what he had to say, and doing a poor job, I think it would be best if you read the note in its entirety to see his vision of this book:

            "When I close my eyes and think about Dr. King's life, the main image that comes to me over and over again is that of stained-glass windows in a church.  For me, the windows are metaphors in a lot of ways.  In the dark, they blaze out at you like beams of light.  The multicolors symbolize multi races.  Stained-glass windows are also a vehicle to tell the story of Jesus.  And whether you're on the inside or the outside, windows allow you to look past where you are.  I use metaphors throughout my work. The four candles in the last picture, for example, represent the four girls who were killed in the Sixteenth Street Baptist church.  Their light shines on.  In illustrating the life of Dr. King, I wanted to bring a fresh spin to a story that's been told many times.  In some places, the imagery had to say true to history.  In others, I tried to push to an emotional level that allows the reader to bring his or her own experience to it, without actually losing the intensity or the intention of the story.  Collage is a perfect medium for this: it allows me to piece together many different things that have no relationship to each other, until they're put together to form a oneness." 

            I love Bryan Collier's vision for this book.  I also love that there are no "big words" on the front of this book.  Instead, there is simply a very well-known image of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. smiling (and of course the symbols for all the awards this book has won.)  The title is on the back.  Peter Catalannato said that he put the title of one of his books on the back, and that it was one of the mistakes he had in his career because they were sold in the book store backwards.  I bought this book in a book store, and I can tell you that there was no mistaking the cover of this book.  The title, the author, the illustrator are all on the back.  I love this, because it tells you that this book is not about the author or the illustrator getting their name on a book.

            This book takes very heavy topics and deals with them simply and beautifully.  Because of this, I feel like this book would be wonderful for upper and lower elementary grades.  At the primary level, students will understand this at a very literal level.  In the older elementary grades, students will be able to appreciate the author’s craft and the illustrator’s purpose.  I feel like, although students could read this book to themselves, it is much more powerful as a read aloud.  I read this book out loud to my mother, and then again to my little sister, and there is just something beautiful about having it read out loud.  There is an obvious social studies connection here, but I think its power lay in its ability to convey the importance of choosing your words carefully.  Martin Luther King Jr. was a powerful speaker, and if you want to view his famous “I have a Dream speech,” you can find it in its entirety here.  I am sure you have heard it before, but how long has it been?  Now that years have passed and you have had different experiences, does it resonate any differently with you?

 

I'll leave you with one of my favorite quotes from this book-"Sooner or later, all the people of the world will have to discover a way to live together."