My Favorite Martin Luther King, Jr. Read Alouds

January is the perfect time of year to delve into the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Not only is his birthday celebrated, but with the school year halfway done, it's the perfect time to positively refocus your class by teaching about his powerful work and teachings. I have found children are a bit older and wiser this time of year, and with your routines already set in place, this is a wonderful, and very relevant, topic to dive into, especially in recognizing the "why" behind our day off of school.

One thing I love about this list is the first-person storytelling, both from his sister and his son. Each book provides a unique insight, at a kid-appropriate level, that can allow your students to get to know Dr. King as a child and a dad.

For an overview of his life's work in engaging narrative, I highly recommend the "I am" book by Meltzer. His books are always hit for any biography project you do. He focuses on the character of Dr. King, as well as his works, and the comic-style illustrations make this a popular choice in class.

One of the reasons I use the National Geographic book is that it includes photos from the actual events mentioned. The rest of the books have stunning. beautiful illustrations, but if you are looking for more of a strictly nonfiction approach, this book includes many of the text features you will want to cover.

All of these books have important and essential teachings of Dr. King and the impact of his work, both then and now. Even picking up just one of these to share with your class will create some important conversations and questions that students need to be talking about.

To read more about these books, simply click on any of the titles below. Each will link you directly to its page on Amazon where you can preview the inside, read the reviews, and find similar titles.