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12 Martin Luther King Jr. Books for Little Learners

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Martin Luther King Jr. was such an incredibly important person in the history of the United States of America. When I was a teacher, we always spent a week learning about him and his leadership in the civil rights movement.

I loved reading Martin Luther King Jr.’s books with my students to help illustrate what exactly he did and what he stood for. Here are my 12 favorite Martin Luther King Jr. books.

Our 12 favorite Martin Luther King Jr. books are perfect for your MLK lesson plans. These are great for preschool, kindergarten, or first grade students.

12 Children’s Martin Luther King Jr. Books for Little Learners

A Picture Book of Martin Luther King Jr. by David A. Adler

Our 12 favorite Martin Luther King Jr. books are perfect for your MLK lesson plans. These are great for preschool, kindergarten, or first grade students.

This biographical picture book of Martin Luther King Jr. is a fairly accurate account of his life and death, while still being appropriate and gentle enough for children.

My First Biography: Martin Luther King Jr. by Marion Dane Bauer

Our 12 favorite Martin Luther King Jr. books are perfect for your MLK lesson plans. These are great for preschool, kindergarten, or first grade students.

An excellent book to begin to explain King and the historical concepts surrounding his life. Perfect for preschool-aged children.

Martin’s Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by Doreen Rappaport

Our 12 favorite Martin Luther King Jr. books are perfect for your MLK lesson plans. These are great for preschool, kindergarten, or first grade students.

This book is an Orbis Pictus Honor Book, Coretta Scott King Honor Book, Caldecott Honor Book for Illustration, ALA Notable Book, and is on the Blue Ribbon list of the Bulletin Center for Children’s Books. Don’t miss this powerful portrayal of the civil rights movement.

The Story of Martin Luther King Jr. by Johnny Ray Moore

Our 12 favorite Martin Luther King Jr. books are perfect for your MLK lesson plans. These are great for preschool, kindergarten, or first grade students.

Delicate watercolor illustrations and simple text make the story of Martin Luther King Jr. interesting and easy to understand for preschoolers and younger children.  This would be a great addition to your picture book library!

I am Martin Luther King, Jr. by Brad Meltzer

Our 12 favorite Martin Luther King Jr. books are perfect for your MLK lesson plans. These are great for preschool, kindergarten, or first grade students.

The “Ordinary People Change the World” series is one of my favorites, and this book is as inspiring and educational as all of the rest of them!  

A Lesson from Martin Luther King, Jr. by Denise Lewis Patrick

Our 12 favorite Martin Luther King Jr. books are perfect for your MLK lesson plans. These are great for preschool, kindergarten, or first grade students.

Part of the Ready-to-Read Childhood of Famous Americans series, this book tells a true story from King’s own childhood about prejudice and segregation.

Who Was Martin Luther King Jr.? by Bonnie Bader

Our 12 favorite Martin Luther King Jr. books are perfect for your MLK lesson plans. These are great for preschool, kindergarten, or first grade students.

The “Who Was” series books are perfect for grades 3-7, and this one is no exception.  Simple text and 80 black and white illustrations throughout make this an excellent historical read.

Martin Luther King Jr. by Kitson Jazynka

Our 12 favorite Martin Luther King Jr. books are perfect for your MLK lesson plans. These are great for preschool, kindergarten, or first grade students.

A National Geographic early reader book, this version of Martin Luther King Jr.’s autobiography is simple enough for young children and includes engaging sidebars to keep their attention.

I Have a Dream by Martin Luther King Jr.

Our 12 favorite Martin Luther King Jr. books are perfect for your MLK lesson plans. These are great for preschool, kindergarten, or first grade students.

This illustrated version of King’s famous speech also comes with an audio CD, which brings this historical event to life.  A must-have book for all ages!

My Daddy, Martin Luther King, Jr. by Martin Luther, III King

Our 12 favorite Martin Luther King Jr. books are perfect for your MLK lesson plans. These are great for preschool, kindergarten, or first grade students.

This picture book biography is written by Martin Luther King, III.  Learn about Martin Luther King Jr. in the eyes of his own son.  A child’s point of view of this powerful man is touching and will teach kids about social justice in a non-scary way.

Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King Jr. by Jean Marzollo

Our 12 favorite Martin Luther King Jr. books are perfect for your MLK lesson plans. These are great for preschool, kindergarten, or first grade students.

This book uses illustrations and simple, straightforward text to explain who Martin Luther King Jr. was and how he impacted history.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day by Margaret McNamara

Our 12 favorite Martin Luther King Jr. books are perfect for your MLK lesson plans. These are great for preschool, kindergarten, or first grade students.

An easy to understand the story that focuses mostly on King’s “dream”, and less on the history surrounding it.  A fantastic book for young children.

Can you not find a resource that you would LOVE to have for your classroom? Contact me and I would be happy to make it for you.

Don’t forget to check out all of the children’s book lists featured on A Dab of Glue Will Do.  Do you have any favorite children’s Martin Luther King Jr. books that are not on the list? If so, please share in the comments below.

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5 Comments Filed Under: Book Lists, Literacy, Winter Tagged With: First Grade, Kindergarten, Pre-K, Preschool

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Trackbacks

  1. Martin Luther King Jr. Day says:
    January 15, 2018 at 2:07 am

    […] days the entire week reading from a list of books I found in this blog by clicking on this link: https://www.adabofgluewilldo.com/books-about-martin-luther-king-jr/ This former teacher made a list of her favorite books for children to learn about Martin Luther […]

    Reply
  2. Different is Beautiful Emergent Reader to Celebrate Diversity - says:
    June 6, 2020 at 12:17 pm

    […] can of course study Martin Luther King, Jr. in our classrooms with books and with creative writing and […]

    Reply
  3. 12 Books that Feature Black Characters for Little Learners - says:
    June 6, 2020 at 1:38 pm

    […] For more book lists to celebrate African-Americans, you’ll also love our 12 Books about Martin Luther King, Jr. for Little Learners. […]

    Reply
  4. Martin Luther King Jr. Activities - This is Kindergarten says:
    January 13, 2021 at 4:15 pm

    […] great list is from a blog called A Dab of Glue Will Do. Here is a list of 12 MLK books for little learners. This list has books that help us better understand […]

    Reply

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Hi, I’m Jennifer!

I'm Jennifer.... I taught Kindergarten and 1st grade, I have a stash of chocolate in my desk to keep me going, and I spend way too much time stalking the Target dollar bin. At a Dab of Glue Will Do, we help busy teachers and their little learners by creating awesome classroom resources which … read more

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