I chose this book as part of the cultural diversity portion of my literacy blog. I was initially drawn to this text by the information about Brian Collier's work in our Show and Tell book. I enjoyed actually seeing his drawings in the original book and was captivated by the story an uplifting message. The book itself is a history of Martin Luther King Jr. from his childhood, rise to prominence, words of inspiration for the Civil Rights Movement and assassination.
Looking at the readability lexile, I would place the language of Martin's Big Words at early elementary level because of its short words, few words per page and accompanying pictures. Cognitively, I would place it as upper elementary because of its chronological ordering of events, abstract problems and how the Civil Rights debate was won but racism and horrible hate crimes still existed after King's death. I think some students may struggle with the "why" behind these concepts. Although racism and assassinations obviously still exist, these may make even less sense to a younger child, especially when racism is not as widespread as it was in the 20th century. Socially, I would place the book at a middle elementary level because the concept of what is right and wrong becomes evident at this stage. The point of the book is to show that MLK was on the correct side of the Civil Rights debate and was a hero for equality.
The problems presented in Martin's Big Words are believable, as students are aware of treating others differently and discriminating, however, probably not on the level like blacks were discriminated in the U.S. South. I think this would be believable to readers as they have no doubt heard MLK's name and perhaps don't know about his beginnings and struggles. The hardships that were overcome in the U.S. South allow students to gain insight into different ways of solving problems, especially with non-violent resistance as shown in the bus boycott King spearheaded. Instead of fighting back, students could learn to talk about disagreements and not respond with violence.
The characters in the story, especially Martin Luther King Jr. are relatable to children. The students not only get to see Martin’s maturation from child to adult, but also the growth of his beliefs and importance. Many of the pages include quotes from King, such as, “Sooner or later, all the people of the world will have to discover a way to live together.” Although certainly not on the same level of the extreme hardships African Americans faced, many children may relate to the struggle of being accepted for who they are and being understood by others.
The societal factors at play in Martin’s Big Words show just how far society has come since the heated and violent days of the Civil Rights Movement. Examples such as people of a different race being killed or refusing to sit on a section of a bus show the difference fifty years can make. Although, I would certainly stress to students that racism still exists, it is just not as explicitly evident as it once was. In addition, I would show Brian Collier’s brilliant illustrations and make sure the class knew what exactly was occurring. Through each successive page I would explain the erosion of segregation occurred and how the Civil Rights Movement ultimately prevailed.
The book’s message of equality showed no stereotypes against blacks or whites. Looking through the book, no white people are even shown, which could be interpreted as being either positive (because the whites in the story’s environment would probably be supporters of segregation) or negative (is it really telling the whole story if the group that made up some of the segregationists isn’t even represented?). Regardless, Martin’s mother was a supporter of equality, which obviously inspired a young MLK telling him, “You’re as good as anyone else.”
Through these words, and the bolded words at the bottom of almost every page of text, Martin’s Big Words is an inspirational and motivational book because it is real, historical and relates to the goal many of us have for acceptance.
The literary elements I found most present in the text were person against society, setting as an antagonist and characterizations. In person against society, Martin’s experiences as a child leading up to his assassination show he was fighting an uphill societal battle to bring about equality. The specter of racism, harm and threats were the de facto of the American South during MLK’s journey. This was also present in the text’s setting, which was what allowed Martin’s goals so hard to achieve. This setting was the most dangerous place the Civil Rights Movement could have taken place. Although a heavy toll was taken on blacks and the movement, MLK’s success made the victory even greater. Through these struggles and settings, I found the characterizations to be well defined. While Rappaport told King’s story in her own words, King’s words and character were represented through quotes on the bottom of many pages such as, “Hate cannot drive out hate. Only love can do that” and, “Everyone can be great.”
One of the main reasons I chose to write about Martin’s Big Words was because of Bryan Collier’s illustrations. In so much of his artwork there are textures that are pasted together with actual images. These are torn and then assembled to create a mosaic of one image, made up of parts of the original image itself. In addition to this unique process there is a combination watercolor and oil paintings.
One idea for a mini lesson would be a pro and con list about non-violent resistance. Students could write down the advantages and disadvantages to this means of protest individually and then contribute to a class list on the board that showed what they had written. Once these student answers have been presented we could come to a class consensus about the overall outcome not only about MLK’s goal for civil rights but an evaluation of how he went about achieving it.
Based on the large concepts and intensity of the Civil Rights Movement, I would set Martin’s Big Words at a middle elementary target audience. The struggle of good versus evil in a relatively modern society and historical importance are heavy subjects, but the pictures and simple sentences show it is aimed at a younger audience.
Cool choice- Martin Luther King and his "big words" is a fantastic description of the movement that has affected so many. I like that your theme of books keeps going back to history and the past and how much we have changed as a culture and either reminding us to accept differences, celebrate the ones we have overcome and reminding our students we have a long way to go before we are even close to accepting as a society.
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