Coretta

November 1, 2023
Grades 3-5 Getting through this adaptation of Coretta Scott King's autobiography may prove challenging for young, independent readers. Coauthor Reverend Dr. Barbara Reynolds relies on excerpts from the adult version, and the combination of sophisticated vocabulary, lengthy passages, and occasional heavily edited language may prove tough going (""I [also] perform[ed], giving concerts to raise money for the movement""). However, confident readers will find themselves moved by King's words as she shares glimpses into her personal milestones: childhood, college days, her first date with Martin, marriage, children, her rising visibility in the civil rights movement, Martin's assassination and funeral, and the creation of the King Center for Nonviolent Social Change. Holmes' stunning illustrations steal the show. Her colorful mixed-media collages demand attention, whether conveying Coretta's dignity and grace while speaking in public or capturing the poignancy of Coretta comforting her infant daughter, Yoki, after a bomb exploded on the front porch of their home. There's also helpful back matter. This worthy addition to the Coretta Scott King canon will make an especially compelling read-aloud.

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Starred review from November 1, 2023
A moving testimonial, distilled from 2017's Coretta: My Life, My Love, My Legacy. "I was the doer, a workaholic always looking for a project," King writes of her childhood, and in this set of lightly edited extracts from her long-delayed last memoir, she traces her rise from someone "born in Nowhere, USA, into a race that was virtually disqualified from humanity and a gender condemned to silence" to a true mover in the struggle for civil rights and, later, human rights. Though she does describe her first meeting with Martin--and her later demand that there be no mention of "obeying" or submission in their wedding vows--in general she brushes in the era's family and larger events with broad strokes, up to her husband's death, her foundation of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, and, in 1983, the establishment of his birthday as a national holiday. It's unclear why Holmes opts to leave the figures in the wedding picture and in some other scenes startlingly faceless, but overall the illustrations, which deftly incorporate collaged photos and news clippings along with richly patterned drapes and other background details, give the author a formidable presence both in private moments and standing proudly before marching masses. "The Dream," she concludes meaningfully, "is a work that is very much in progress." Eloquent and stately. (Six Principles of Nonviolence, timeline) (Picture book memoir. 7-9)

COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from December 15, 2023

Gr 3-5-This abridged illustrated version of Coretta Scott King's autobiography is both powerful and beautiful. Multimedia collages dominate the pages: layered portraits, straightforward portrayals of the text, and mosaics incorporating newspaper print and photographs. Bright colors counteract the sepia and black-and-white tones of the newspaper pictures. The use of collage allows readers to feel the different waves of emotions, especially as the text turns to the death of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Coretta Scott King's life afterward. The motif of flowers ties the book together, showing grace in a time of tragedy. VERDICT A gorgeous book to introduce children to the triumphs and tragedies of one of the Civil Rights Movement's most avid champions.-Jessica Durham

Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from January 1, 2024
Adapted from King's autobiography, this picture book offers a new generation the remarkable story of the activist, artist, wife, and mother whose grace in the face of unspeakable loss continued the momentum of a movement. Beginning with glimpses into her childhood in segregated Alabama, King (1927�? 2006) describes being the second Black student admitted to Antioch College (her older sister Edythe was the first) and her fight to teach in Ohio -- readers see that her pursuit of equality started long before she met and married Martin Luther King Jr. The first-person retelling of events such as the March on Washington is compellingly personal. Holmes's vibrant illustrations (in acrylic with elements of collage incorporating print and photos) saturate the pages with color. The illustrations also take great care in communicating the very human emotions that King and her family experienced in scenes including her surrounded by her young children at the piano; a phone receiver hanging from its cord at the news of MLK's death; and her speaking to a crowd despite her grief just hours after arriving in Memphis. Art and text bring this civil rights icon to life, reminding readers of a dream yet to be fully realized. Back matter includes a timeline of her life and major events. Monique Harris

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

January 1, 2024
Adapted from King's autobiography, this picture book offers a new generation the remarkable story of the activist, artist, wife, and mother whose grace in the face of unspeakable loss continued the momentum of a movement. Beginning with glimpses into her childhood in segregated Alabama, King (1927-2006) describes being the second Black student admitted to Antioch College (her older sister Edythe was the first) and her fight to teach in Ohio -- readers see that her pursuit of equality started long before she met and married Martin Luther King Jr. The first-person retelling of events such as the March on Washington is compellingly personal. Holmes's vibrant illustrations (in acrylic with elements of collage incorporating print and photos) saturate the pages with color. The illustrations also take great care in communicating the very human emotions that King and her family experienced in scenes including her surrounded by her young children at the piano; a phone receiver hanging from its cord at the news of MLK's death; and her speaking to a crowd despite her grief just hours after arriving in Memphis. Art and text bring this civil rights icon to life, reminding readers of a dream yet to be fully realized. Back matter includes a timeline of her life and major events.

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)