Picture book · Nonfiction
Martin's Big Words
Doreen Rappaport; illustrated by Bryan Collier
About the book
A picture-book biography of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. that weaves his own words into the narrative.
Reading notes
Bryan Collier's collage art and King's quoted words make it a widely used classroom introduction; it states plainly that Dr. King was shot.
This description was drafted with AI assistance and checked by a separate AI review against catalog, publisher and award sources on 2026-11-11. It has not been reviewed by a human editor. Report an error.
Recognition
- ["Caldecott Honor (2002)"
- "Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor (2002)"]
Recognition is listed from the awarding bodies’ published records. How we verify awards.
Book details
- Author
- Doreen Rappaport
- Illustrator
- Bryan Collier
- First published
- 2001
- Suggested ages
- Ages 5–9 (editorial estimate — children vary)
- Reading mode
- Best read aloud
- Topics
- civil rights, martin luther king
- Edition shown
- ISBN 9781423106357 · Jump At The Sun, December 18, 2007 · Paperback
- Catalog record
- Open Library work record · edition record
Metadata verified against Open Library on 2026-11-11. Other editions and formats exist; ISBNs differ by edition.
Featured in
Book list
Children's Books About Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement
Picture books, biographies and novels about Dr. King and the civil rights movement by age, with guidance for honest conversations and primary sources to pair.
For educators & librarians
Civil Rights Picture Book Unit for Grades 2–5: A Two-Week Plan with Primary Sources
A 1–2 week civil rights unit built on picture books, with a daily plan, National Archives primary sources, vocabulary, assessment and guidance on hard history.