Celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day

This year, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day will be celebrated on Monday, January 18th, 2021. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15th, 1929 and his legacy is profound – perhaps now more than ever.

“As a child, I remember studying Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. only from one perspective—the man who had a dream. Without a deep understanding of Dr. King, I lacked the ability to apply some of his profound principles to my life. Years later as an adult, I read his autobiography and was amazed at the depth of his personhood. Out of this amazement, I created a booklist that allows children to understand Dr. King’s life as a family member, activist, dreamer, and philosopher. Developing an understanding of these books has the potential for children to view themselves as having the power and potential to change the world,” Dr. Nosakhere Griffin-EL eloquently wrote for his excellent MLK 360: A Children's Booklist About Dr. King's Legacy.

I also recommend the Children’s booklist on Dr. King Jr. at The Colour of Us, a website all about multicultural children’s books: 22 Children's Books About Martin Luther King Jr.

Gathered together here by the Children’s and Young Adult staff at the Library are a wealth of noteworthy resources (video, audio, eBook, and book) to share with children about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life, his words, and the nonviolent actions that brought about much needed civil rights changes against racism that we as a society are still fighting today.

Videos:

Martin's Big Words: Hoopla and Kanopy
March On! The Day My Brother Martin Changed the World: Hoopla and Kanopy
The Cart That Carried Martin: Hoopla

Online Resources:

Children’s Books:

We March by Shane W. Evans
Preschool-2nd Grade
OverDrive
Library Catalog

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Robin Hill School Series (Read-Along) by Margaret McNamara & Mike Gordon
Grades K-3
OverDrive
Library Catalog

A Day at the Museum, Ana and Andrew Series by Christine Platt
Grades K-3
OverDrive
Hoopla
Library Catalog

Un día en el museo, Ana & Andrew Series by Christine Platt
Grades K-3
OverDrive
Library Catalog

Thank you, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by Eleanora Tate (Audiobook)
Grades 4-6
Hoopla
Library Catalog

Nonfiction:

A Picture Book of Martin Luther King, Jr. by David A. Adler, Robert Casilla (Video & eBook)
Grades K-3
OverDrive
Hoopla
Library Catalog

Martin Luther King Jr.: A Peaceful Leader by Sarah Albee & Chin Ko
Grades K-3
OverDrive
Hoopla
Library Catalog

¿Quien fue Martin Luther King, Jr.? by Bonnie Bader
Grades 3-5
OverDrive
Library Catalog

Who Was Martin Luther King, Jr.? by Bonnie Bader (eBook & Audiobook)
Grades 3-5
OverDrive
Library Catalog

Día de Martin Luther King, Jr. by R. J. Bailey
Grades K-3
Hoopla
Library Catalog

Martin Luther King Jr. Day by R. J. Bailey
Grades K-3
OverDrive
Library Catalog

We Are the Change by Harry Belafonte
Grades 1-4
OverDrive
Hoopla
Library Catalog

The Civil Rights Movement by Eric Braun
Grades 4-6
OverDrive
Hoopla
Library Catalog

The Cart That Carried Martin by Eve Bunting & Don Tate
Grades K-3
OverDrive
Hoopla
Library Catalog

Martin Luther King Jr. Day / Natalicio de Martin Luther King Jr. by Connor Dayton
Grades K-3
OverDrive
Hoopla

Memphis, Martin, and the Mountaintop: The Sanitation Strike of 1968 by Alice Faye Duncann & R. Gregory Christie
Grades 2-4
OverDrive
Library Catalog

March On! by Dr. Christine King Farris (Audiobook)
Grades K-3
Hoopla
Library Catalog

Black Stars of the Civil Rights Movement by Jim Haskins
Grades 3-6
OverDrive
Library Catalog

Martin Luther King, Jr., National Geographic Readers Series by Kitson Jazynka (Read-Along)
Grades K-3
OverDrive
Library Catalog

Martin Luther King Jr. and the March on Washington: A Graphic History of the Civil Rights Movement by Gary Jeffrey
Grades 3-5
OverDrive
Hoopla
Library Catalog

I Have a Dream by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. & Kadir Nelson (Read-Along & eBook)
Grades K-3
OverDrive
Library Catalog

My Daddy, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by Martin Luther King III (Audiobook)
Grades K-3
Hoopla
Library Catalog

What Was the March on Washington? by Kathleen Krull
Grades 3-5
OverDrive
Library Catalog

El Movimiento por los Derechos Civiles en Estados Unidos (American Civil Rights Movement) by Emily Mahoney
Grades 4-6
OverDrive
Library Catalog

You Are There! March on Washington, August 28, 1963 by Torrey Maloof
Grades 2-4
OverDrive
Hoopla

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial by Joanne Mattern
Grades 1-4
Hoopla

I am Brave: A Little Book about Martin Luther King, Jr. by Brad Meltzer & Christopher Eliopoulos
Preschool-1st Grade
OverDrive
Library Catalog

I am Martin Luther King, Jr. by Brad Meltzer & Christopher Eliopoulos
Grades K-2
OverDrive
Library Catalog

As Good as Anybody: Martin Luther King, Jr., and Abraham Joshua Heschel's Amazing March toward Freedom by Richard Michelson & Raul Colón
Grades K-3
OverDrive
Library Catalog

Dream March: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the March on Washington by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson & Sally Wern Comport
Grades K-3
OverDrive
Library Catalog

Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial by Julie Murray (Read-Along)
Grades K-3
OverDrive
Hoopla
Library Catalog

Monumento a Martin Luther King, Jr. by Julie Murray
Grades K-3
Hoopla
Library Catalog

Martin Rising: Requiem For a King by Andrea Davis Pinkney & Brian Pinkney (eBook & Audiobook)
Grades 2-4
OverDrive
Hoopla
Library Catalog

Martin’s Big Words by Doreen Rappaport (Audiobook)
Grades K-3
Hoopla
Library Catalog

Martin Luther King Jr. by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara & Mai Ly Degnan
Preschool-2nd Grade
OverDrive
Library Catalog

Chasing King's Killer: The Hunt for Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Assassin by James L. Swanson (eBook & Audiobook)
Grades 4-6
OverDrive
Hoopla
Library Catalog

The Civil Rights Movement for Kids by Mary C. Turek
Grades 1-4
Hoopla
Library Catalog

My Uncle Martin's Big Heart by Angela Farris Watkins & Eric Velasquez
Hoopla
Library Catalog

My Uncle Martin's Words for America: Martin Luther King Jr.'s Niece Tells How He Made a Difference by Angela Farris Watkins & Eric Velasquez
Grades K-3
OverDrive
Hoopla
Library Catalog

A Place to Land: Martin Luther King Jr. and the Speech That Inspired a Nation by Barry Wittenstein & Jerry Pinkney
Grades 3-4
OverDrive
Library Catalog