A graceful, intimate text written by the niece of Martin Luther King, Jr., uses King’s key ideas (nonviolence, freedom, justice, equality, brotherhood, etc.) to show the impact his leadership had on the United States mid-century. Watkins does an excellent job providing context, using language young readers will understand. Eric Velasquez’s realistic illustrations include several portraits of Dr. King, as well as paintings of ordinary Americans engaged in the struggle for Civil Rights and, later on, living out the dream articulated by Dr. King. (Ages 7–11)