Does the dream of Martin Luther King live on? Yes, says the narrator of this resonant picture book, which uses the peculiar logic of dreams to take the reader beyond straight biography into a more personal, heartfelt interpretation of King's legacy. In a dream, the narrator sees King as a boy experiencing both the well-known incidents of his childhood and those of his early adult life. Dream logic makes this switch not only acceptable but reasonable, suggesting the childhood roots of the man's concerns. The dream changes again: King, now shown as an adult, presides over the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and, in his great speech in Washington, proclaims his dream. The narrator dreams, too, of his death, but also of mourners "trading in bags containing our prejudice, hate, ignorance, violence, and fear for the slain hero's dream." As she awakens, we share with her a powerful message: "EVERY GOOD THING STARTS WITH A DREAM." Ringgold (Tar Beach) mutes her usually exuberant palette for the dream scenes, creating stark, flat illustrations painted in browns, grays, whites, blacks and touches of one other color. Innovative and stirring. Ages 4-9. (Dec.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Gr 2-4-In this fictionalized account of the major events in Dr. King's life, Ringgold retells his story as a dream sequence. Falling asleep while watching a TV program dedicated to King's memory, she imagines the civil rights advocate first as a young boy encountering racial hatred, insults, and degradation. Later, as an adult, he is shown as the familiar leader of his people. Intermingled with the biographical narrative is a recurring image of all the people in the world, representing every age, gender, race, and creed, coming together to trade their excess "baggage" of hate and prejudice for hope, freedom, peace, and love. The basic facts are here, but because of the literary device imposed upon the book, the chronology may be a bit difficult for young readers to follow. There are also some challenging words and concepts that will require adult explanation. King's message, contained in quotes from his "I Have a Dream" speech, is conveyed, but in attempting to include so much, the focus of the book is unclear. Ringgold once again achieves memorable pictorial success through her simple but powerful full-page paintings. In muting her palette to accommodate the serious nature of the subject, however, she does sacrifice some of the liveliness and vigor associated with her previous works. Books about the life and crusade of this celebrated African American hero abound. This addition to the canon would be useful where the demand for materials is high, and when used in conjunction with other biographies such as David Adler's A Picture Book of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (Holiday, 1989).æMartha Rosen, Edgewood School, Scarsdale, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Ages 6-9. Ringgold has often used the metaphor of dreams to interpret events in her books. Here, she views the life of Martin Luther King through her impressionistic lens. The frame of the story is the narrator's dream, in which King is a child who must go to a segregated school and hear his daddy called "boy." He watches police on horseback beat up protesters, and he is taken to prison, where his grandmother holds him and tries to explain segregation. As an adult, King helps Rosa Parks, makes his "I Have A Dream" speech, and is murdered. As the dream starts, all the people of the world carry their hate and prejudice in paper bags; at the book's conclusion, the people are willing to burn their bags. When they do, these words appear in the sky: "Every Good Thing Starts with a Dream." Many children will willingly suspend disbelief and travel with the narrator through her reverie, but others may be confused by the way she plays with time. Like the folk-art images found in Aunt Harriet's Underground Railroad in the Sky (1992), Ringgold's pictures are strong and powerful, but here they are also dark and brooding, with grays, blacks, and blues predominating. Some pictures, especially the one of President Johnson as the only white face at King's funeral, do not work well within the confines of a biography, even one of the transcendental variety. There is an intensity to Ringgold's interpretation that will affect readers; the book catches the feel of Dr. King's life even if the fantasy framework overshadows the soul-stirring facts. Check the appended timeline for those. (Reviewed Feb. 15, 1996)0517599767Ilene Cooper