Martin Rising: Requiem For a King

by Andrea Davis Pinkney, Brian Pinkney (Illustrator)

Overview

With imagination and power, the award-winning Pinkney duo celebrates MLK's nonviolent struggle for civil rights — as he transforms America through the spirit of love.

A Washington Post Best Book of the YearA Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the YearA New York Public Library Best Book of the YearA School Library Journal Best Book of the Year* "Unique and remarkable." —Publishers Weekly, starred review* "Each poem trembles under the weight of the story it tells... Martin Rising packs an emotional wallop and, in perfect homage, soars when read aloud." —Booklist, starred reviewIn a rich embroidery of visions, musical cadence, and deep emotion, Andrea and Brian Pinkney convey the final months of Martin Luther King's life — and of his assassination — through metaphor, spirituality, and multilayers of meaning.Andrea's stunning poetic requiem, illustrated with Brian's lyrical and colorful artwork, brings a fresh perspective to Martin Luther King, the Gandhi-like, peace-loving activist whose dream of equality — and whose courage to make it happen — changed the course of American history. And even in his death, he continues to transform and inspire all of us who share his dream.Wonderful classroom plays of Martin Rising can be performed by using the "Now Is the Time" history and the 1968 timeline at the back of the book as narration — and adding selected poems to tell the story!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780545702539
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	01/02/2018
Pages:	128
Sales rank:	1,044,134
Product dimensions:	8.20(w) x 11.00(h) x 1.00(d)
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

Andrea Davis Pinkney and Brian Pinkney have made an outstanding contribution to the field of children's literature both as individuals and as a team. Between them, they have published more than 70 children's books that have received the highest awards and accolades, including Caldecott Honors, Coretta Scott King Honors, NAACP Image Award nominations, and the May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture Award, to name a few. To learn more, please visit andreadavispinkney.com and brianpinkney.net.
Andrea Davis Pinkney is the New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of nearly 50 books for young readers, among them The Red Pencil and A Poem for Peter, as well as several collaborations with her husband, Brian Pinkney, including Martin Rising: Requiem for a King, Sit-In, and Hand in Hand, which received the Coretta Scott King Book Award. Andrea Davis Pinkney lives in New York City. You can follow her on Twitter at @AndreaDavisPink, on Instagram at @Andreapinkney1, and on Facebook at @andreadavispinkey.

Editorial Reviews

…[Andrea Davis Pinkney] makes King's death feel as significant as the falling of the sky above. It is, of course, a terrible and sad story, but one in which Brian Pinkney's illustrations manage to find beauty.

The New York Times Book Review - Rumaan Alam

★ 11/06/2017
The grim task of writing about Dr. King’s assassination is handled with great tenderness by this husband-and-wife team. Andrea Davis Pinkney’s 39 poems sing, exhort, console, and illuminate. She explains the strike by sanitation workers that brought King to Memphis (“Come,/ please come./ The strikers need you”), describes King’s exhaustion, and celebrates his prophetic last speech (“I’ve seen the promised land,” he says. “I may not get there with you”). Brian Pinkney paints with gentle, rounded strokes, alternating portraits with atmospheric, abstract washes. He shows King adjusting the knot of his tie on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel, his gaze distant. Suddenly, there’s a “Pop!” Deep emotion finds expression in impassioned bursts: “Angry fists alight with fire!/ Smashing glass!” The fairy tale hen, Henny Penny, appears throughout to warn and comfort in anguished moments: “She tries, oh, she tries/ to fly/ in the bullet’s face.” In the end, King’s legacy offers redemption and hope: “And with love, we all shall rise.” Written with an eye toward choral reading, this is a unique and remarkable resource. Ages 9–12. Agent: Rebecca Sherman, Writers House. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

Distinctions and Praise for Martin Rising: Requiem for a King:A Washington Post Best Book of the YearA Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the YearA New York Public Library Best Book of the YearA School Library Journal Best Book of the YearA Chicago Public Library Best Book of the Year"Envisioned for young readers but sure to be appreciated more widely, Martin Rising depicts King as a source of warmth and brightness on its radiant front cover. [The Pinkneys] sustain and develop this idea throughout their book, paying stirring tribute to King's personal warmth, spiritual strength and leadership. The book's vivid poetry bursts with information as well as feeling, and the watercolor images are grounded in reality but feel elevated, on a higher plane." —The Washington Post* "Spiritually vital." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review* "Unique and remarkable." —Publishers Weekly, starred review* "Each poem trembles under the weight of the story it tells... Martin Rising packs an emotional wallop and, in perfect homage, soars when read aloud." —Booklist, starred review* "A powerful celebration of Martin Luther King Jr...As the last moments of King's life tick away, the narrative zooms in, detailing the emotional beats of his final public speeches, the feverish exhaustion of long days and nights away from home... Throughout, the crowds filling churches seeking inspiration and bravely marching in the face of violence are as much a part of the story as King himself....Beautifully illustrated and begging to be read aloud, this poetry collection is an exceptional classroom tool for civil rights lessons and offers much for individual readers to linger over." —School Library Journal, starred review* "A creative poetic celebration of the contributions of Martin Luther King Jr. that also, as a song for the dead, includes a meticulous explanation of how and why he died.... Accompanying the varied and intense poetry, Brian Pinkney's swirling watercolor, gouache, and India ink illustrations give life and movement to King's story and reflect the complex emotions that surface throughout this biography...." —The Horn Book, starred review"This genre-bending work uses poetry to document the last months of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s life... This well-researched, thorough tribute captures the details that make each section vividly memorable... The often alliterative and sometimes rhyming poetry, full of simile and metaphor, begs for re-reading and performing.Brian Pinkney's ...luminescent illustrations epitomize the essence of King's life as a beacon of light and creates hope, even during troubling times.... Theback matterincludes a retelling of the events of King's last months in straight-forward text accompanied by black-and-white photographs, a timeline, and a bibliography.Martin Risingis an inspiring joy to read and a genuinely unique accolade." —VOYAPraise for Martin & Mahalia: His Words, Her Song:* "Wife-and-husband team Andrea Davis Pinkney and Brian Pinkney match talents as they weave together the stories of two giants of the American civil rights movement...[A] colorful, inspirational resource." —Booklist, starred review"Historical context and artistic inspirations wrap up this informative approach to the two icons and the effect of their partnership on history." —School Library JournalPraise for The Red Pencil:* "Pinkney faces war's horrors head on, yet also conveys a sense of hope and promise." —Publishers Weekly, starred review* "Pinkney uses deft strokes to create engaging characters through the poetry of their observations and the poignancy of their circumstances....A soulful story that captures the magic of possibility, even in difficult times." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review* "Amira's thoughts and drawings are vividly brought to life through Pinkney's lyrical verse.... An essential purchase." —School Library Journal, starred review

From the Publisher

★ 01/01/2018
Gr 4 Up—A powerful celebration of Martin Luther King Jr., set against the last few months of his life and written in verse. Divided into three sections, ("Daylight," "Darkness," and "Dawn"), Andrea Davis Pinkney's poems focus on the winter and spring of 1968, from King's birthday on January 15 through the horror of his assassination on April 4 and end with a tribute to his legacy of hope on Easter Sunday, April 14. The poems begin broadly, painting a portrait of spring emerging in Memphis as garbage collectors fight against discriminatory wage policies, ultimately bringing King to that city to organize and uplift the movement. But as the last moments of King's life tick away, the narrative zooms in, detailing the emotional beats of his final public speeches, the feverish exhaustion of long days and nights away from home, and the relief of stolen moments of leisure with his closest friends. Throughout, the crowds filling churches seeking inspiration and bravely marching in the face of violence are as much a part of the story as King himself. Brian Pinkney's watercolor, gouache, and India ink illustrations convey warm moments of victory and joy, as well as the darkness and chaos of loss, through swirls of color. Impressionistic brush-stroke portraits of King alternate with spreads full of faces listening, marching, and mourning. Back matter includes author and artist reflections, a time line, and additional historical information with photographs. VERDICT Beautifully illustrated and begging to be read aloud, this poetry collection is an exceptional classroom tool for civil rights lessons and offers much for individual readers to linger over.—Chelsea Couillard-Smith, Hennepin County Library, MN

School Library Journal

★ 2017-09-26
The multiaward-winning Pinkneys' requiem lovingly explains in a set of "docu-poems" the events surrounding Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination, particularly the Memphis sanitation workers' strikes that brought him to the city where he eventually died. The author humanizes King through the love he has for his family and movement comrades (including an April 4, 1968, pillow fight with his brother, Andrew Young, and Ralph Abernathy) as well as the viral bug he suffers with as he gives his last, prescient, and momentous "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech. The illustrator, blending influences of Marc Chagall and Norman Lewis, gives the story a loosely drawn, vibrantly warm, watercolor haze, which, with halos of yellows and oranges and even wings, give King and his family an almost beatific, if not saintly, glow, even in their sorrows. The character of Henny Penny, who is a blend of the fabled chicken and a wise black grandmother, provides the Greek-chorus narration in a device that is understandable if sometimes-distracting. Catholicism creates hagiographies to explain their martyrs' and other saints' deaths, whether history concurs with their feats for the faith or, in some cases, their very existences. Even as U.S. black communities wrestle with Dr. King's personal foibles, media-glossed images, and complex messages, here readers have a children's book in which adults may also find succor, if not inspiration, considering the current reverting-to-pre-Civil Rights administration. Spiritually vital. (author's and illustrator's notes, history, timeline, bibliography) (Poetry. 8-adult)

Kirkus Reviews

Andrea Davis Pinkney’s passionate performance of her “docu-poems” tells the story of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s, final months in three parts. The Memphis sanitation workers’ strike serves as the backdrop as Dr. King prepares to provide them badly needed leadership. The verses, as indicated in the author’s note, may also be performed as a play, and Pinkney makes the most of narrating her own work. Listeners will hear the promise of the sparkling boy and the somber fatigue of the man before his final speech. The conviction of the works assures listeners that Dr. King’s legacy will live on. Above all, Pinkney’s presentation will leave listeners feeling that they’ve spent time with the man himself—a respected leader, father, and friend. E.J.F. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine

NOVEMBER 2018 - AudioFile

Andrea Davis Pinkney’s passionate performance of her “docu-poems” tells the story of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s, final months in three parts. The Memphis sanitation workers’ strike serves as the backdrop as Dr. King prepares to provide them badly needed leadership. The verses, as indicated in the author’s note, may also be performed as a play, and Pinkney makes the most of narrating her own work. Listeners will hear the promise of the sparkling boy and the somber fatigue of the man before his final speech. The conviction of the works assures listeners that Dr. King’s legacy will live on. Above all, Pinkney’s presentation will leave listeners feeling that they’ve spent time with the man himself—a respected leader, father, and friend. E.J.F. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine

NOVEMBER 2018 - AudioFile