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Children's Bookshelf: Martin Rising: Requiem for a King

Martin Rising: Requiem for a King written by Andrea Davis Pinkney and illustrated by Brian Pinkney is a breathtaking historical account of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s support of the sanitation workers in Memphis who went on strike February 11, 1968, his “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech and his assassination on April 4,1968.

This illustrated book for ages 10 and up is beautifully written in poetry and richly illustrated in watercolor, gouache and India ink. The words are engaging as they move the reader through the challenges facing the strikers and the struggles facing Dr. King. Andrea Pinkney calls her narratives “docu-poetry” and invites teachers to have their students read them aloud. The inspired illustrations by Brian Pinkney are characterized by circles of swirling colors that match the ever-growing intensity of the facts on the ground.

The book is divided into three parts: Daylight, Darkness and Dawn. One of the most compelling structures of the storytelling is the inclusion of Henny Penny and her worry that the sky might be falling. The chicken sets the tone for the book in the Prelude and carries it through to its conclusion. She thrashes around, bats her wings, turns, twists and squawks, but:

“no matter how much she

tries to deflect

the inevitable—

nothing can erase the name

etched in the bullet’s face.

Power bird,

forced to surrender,

is the first to cry”.

Martin Rising: Requiem for a King written by Andrea Davis Pinkney and illustrated by Brian Pinkney with timelines and photographs in the back material is a book not to be missed (Scholastic Press, 2018).

Questions for 'Martin Rising: Requiem for a King'

Reread the four poems about Henny Penny and study them along with the four accompanying illustrations. Think about these questions:

How does Henny Penny set the tone for the book in the Prelude? What is she concerned about? Why does the “doom gloom sky” trouble her? What does the terrible storm predict? How does she try to physically stop the inevitable in the fourth poem? How do the colors and lines seen in this illustration represent her anguish? Who could the women with the umbrella in three of these illustrations be?

You can hear Martin Luther King, Jr. deliver his “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech on the American Rhetoric website listed in the back of this book. It is 43 minutes long. Why is his address so powerful? Think about King’s voice and powerful ideas. How is his voice connected to his images and message? Listen for his use of rhythm, vocal pauses, repetitions, changes in volume, word color and rhetorical questions.

January 15th is Martin Luther King Jr. Day across the country. How does your school plan on celebrating this day of honor? The author in her notes encourages teachers to have students read the poems aloud. Which one would you select to read aloud? Please go ahead and try it.

Sue Ann Martin is professor emerita of Communication and Dramatic Arts and the founding and past Dean of the College of Communication and Fine Arts at Central Michigan University, Mt. Pleasant, Michigan. She first became interested in children’s literature when she wrote her PhD thesis on the oral characteristics of the Caldecott Award-winning children’s books. Her PhD is in Speech and Interpretation with a cognate in Early Childhood Education. She went on to review children’s books for the Detroit Free Press, write three popular resource books for teachers regarding children’s books and the creative process. She also reviewed newly-published books for Arts Almanac specials on WCMU Public Radio. Her 2002 children’s books special for WCMU won a Merit Award in Special Interest Programming from the Michigan Association of Broadcasters.