22 June 2012 I HAVE A DREAM by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Kadir Nelson, ill., Schwartz & Wade, October 2012, 40p., ISBN: 978-0-375-85887-1

“Shout it from the mountain and on out to the sea

No two ways about it people got to be free”

-- The Rascals

Note: According to Wikipedia, after this song was released in 1968 – the year Dr. King was assassinated -- the group would only perform at concerts that also featured an African American act.  They canceled all booked performances for which this condition was not met.

“With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope.  With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood.  With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.”

We humans deliver speeches in order to inform and persuade and inspire.  And it is easy to argue that Martin Luther King’s inspirational “I Have a Dream” speech is the most significant speech delivered during the fifty-seven years that I’ve been walking this planet.

Through his paintings for previous picture books, Kadir Nelson has won lots of awards for bringing to life such immortal black Americans as Duke Ellington, Harriet Tubman, and Michael Jordan.  Now, he brings to life the most important person of color in American history. 

Just think about what an essential role Dr. King played in our country’s story.  I propose that if there was no Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., there would never­­­ have been be a President Obama.

“From every mountainside, let freedom ring.”

This “I Have a Dream” speech, delivered when President Obama was still chewing on board books, reverberated across our nation.  I still clearly recall how, at the beginning of third grade, both my first and second grade teachers came up to me in the hallway on the first day of school and told me -- in a reverent tone -- how they had traveled down to Washington, D.C., participated in a march, and heard the most amazing speech.

The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a man of God.  He showed me how one could put oneself on the line to make a big difference.  He showed me – a young, white, suburban kid – how to dream really big.

In bringing this pivotal chapter of American history to life, the combination of Martin Luther King’s words and Kadir Nelson’s paintings will take your breath away.

Richie Partington, MLIS
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