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Summary
Summary
★★★★ FOUR STARRED REVIEWS! New from the award-winning author/illustrator team behind Memphis, Martin, and the Mountaintop!
Who was Coretta Scott King? Her black-veiled image at the funeral of her husband, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., was moving and iconic. This book introduces readers to the woman behind the veil--a girl full of spunk and pluck, bravery and grit.
"Corrie, you are a brave soldier. I don't know what I would do without you." --Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Much more than just a wife, Coretta Scott King was Martin's partner in the fight for justice. It wasn't always easy. From an early age, she stood strong against white violence toward her family in the South, and against discrimination as a music student in the North. Coretta found her voice as a classical singer, but she struggled mightily to speak out as an activist in the face of men who thought she should be seen and not heard. But she never wavered. When Martin died, it was Coretta who carried on the struggle, and preserved his legacy so that his voice would be heard by future generations. This important story, told in poetry and prose, is a riveting introduction to an important and instrumental figure in the history of activism and civil rights.
Awards for Memphis, Martin, and the Mountaintop...
Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Book * School Library Journal Best Book of the Year * Booklist Editors' Choice * Kirkus Reviews Best Children's Book * Booklist Top 10 Diverse Books for Middle Grade or Older Readers * Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Books
Author Notes
Alice Faye Duncan is the author of multiple children's books, including Memphis, Martin, and the Mountaintop , which received a 2019 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor and five starred reviews, and Just Like Mama , which was nominated for the NAACP Image Award. Her most recent books include Opal Lee and What it Means to Be Free , Evicted! , and Yellow Dog Blues .
R. Gregory Christie is a recipient of the Caldecott Honor, a winner of the NAACP Image award, and a six-time Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award honoree. His recent Calkins Creek books include Answering the Cry for Freedom by Gretchen Woelfle, which won the Carter G. Woodson Book Award, and Memphis, Martin, and the Mountaintop by Alice Faye Duncan, which received six starred reviews. He also designed the art on the US Postal Service's 2013 Kwanzaa stamp.
Reviews (4)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Blending poetry and prose to chart the path of Coretta Scott King (1927--2006), Duncan and Christie portray a person who was formidable from her earliest years. A timeline that employs various poetic forms is interspersed with richly rendered scenes in third-person narration detailing Coretta's childhood and adulthood. In segregated Heiberger, Ala., her birthplace, Coretta followed her mother's advice to "get an education and try to be somebody," becoming valedictorian of her high school, earning a college scholarship to Antioch, and studying at the New England Conservatory, where she met Martin Luther King Jr. They married and "followed a cosmic calling" to Montgomery, Ala. There, she supported his ministry and, after his assassination, lectured denouncing "racism, homophobia, poverty, and war." Christie's mixed-media watercolors center stylized portraiture based on key moments in the figure's life. Ages 7--10. (Sept.)
Horn Book Review
In a sophisticated, poetic picture-book biography, Duncan alternates double-page spreads featuring prose or poems in a variety of forms that highlight Coretta Scott King's accomplishments. ("I wanted to capture the musical quality of her voice and bearing.") Each poem highlights a significant date, such as 1927, which opens the book: "Alabama soil / A fertile plain of black earth / Coretta was born." Lengthy prose sections expand on the poems' topics or move the narrative forward. From her childhood in Alabama under Jim Crow to college in Ohio and studying music in Boston, Coretta followed her mother's encouragement to "get an education and try to be somebody" and her father's assurance that she could "do anything anyone else can do." After Coretta's marriage to Martin Luther King Jr., Duncan describes how the husband-and-wife team became the prominent faces of the civil rights movement and ardent proponents of nonviolent protest. Following MLK's assassination, Coretta continued the mission and worked to establish a national holiday in honor of her husband. Duncan's reverent tone gleams thanks to an effective combination of forthright prose and eclectic poetic forms. Christie conveys the highlights of Coretta's life story in vivid and engaging watercolor renderings. A timeline and bibliography are appended. Pauletta Brown BracySeptember/October 2023 p.93 (c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Coretta Scott King's embrace of her husband's legacy was one of many ways she fought injustice. Though young Coretta's family owned land, they were not exempt from the racial injustice of 1930s and '40s Alabama: overcrowded segregated schools; her family home and her father's lumber mill being burned to the ground. Still, they persevered. After excelling in high school, Coretta attended Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio. When she was denied the opportunity to do her practice teaching in the white public schools, she fought back. After college, Coretta moved to Boston to study music at the New England Conservatory, where she met Martin Luther King Jr., a doctoral student at Boston University. They married and moved to Montgomery, Alabama, and as she raised their growing family, she also supported her husband in his philosophy of nonviolent resistance and sought to speak out for international peace. When Dr. King was killed in 1968, Mrs. King intensified her efforts in support of freedom for all and pushed for a national holiday to honor his life's work. Duncan depicts Coretta's path through both verse and prose; the many poetic forms she employs reflect the complexities of her subject's life, and the strong prose gives a clear picture of her determined personality. Christie's impressionistic mixed-media watercolor illustrations are stunning, beginning with the powerful cover that immediately commands attention. Exuding emotion, each image perfectly complements the intriguing text. (This book was reviewed digitally.) A beautiful pairing of words and images that highlights a remarkable life. (timeline, author's note, bibliography, text and picture credits) (Picture-book biography. 7-10) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Born to parents who encouraged her to "get an education and try to be somebody," Coretta Scott studied hard and spoke out against racial injustice when she encountered it. After marrying Martin Luther King Jr., she became a steadying influence during the tumultuous civil rights era. Told in alternating spreads of prose and verse (to acknowledge CSK's musical talents), Duncan's picture-book biography emphasizes the personal strengths and virtues that make CSK a civil rights icon in her own right, in addition to being MLK's life partner. Duncan uses a variety of poetic styles, ranging from acrostics and haiku to free verse, that walk readers chronologically through key moments in CSK's life, while the prose passages generally provide wider historical context. Christie's mixed-media, watercolor illustrations appear on every spread, depicting cited events and individuals, conveying the emotions of those involved, and providing important setting details. He employs a full-color palette, although yellows, oranges, and greens predominate. A moving introduction to this indefatigable social-justice advocate. Back matter includes photos, a time line, and an author's note.
