What Was Your Dream, Dr. King?: And Other Questions About... Martin Luther King Jr. (Good Question!) - Hardcover

Mary Kay Carson is an award-winning children's nonfiction author. She has written more than 40 books for kids about wildlife, space, weather, nature, and history, including Alexander Graham Bell: Giving Voice to the World, The Underground Railroad for Kids, and The Wright Brothers for Kids. Mary Kay also gives presentations at schools about writing and her books. She lives in Cincinnati, OH. For more information go to: marykaycarson.com.

The question-and-answer format in these books in the Good Question! series mimics the way children ask about a given subject. The questions are related to a general topic but do not follow a linear or chronological narrative. They also vary widely in scope. The format feels a bit forced in What Was Your Dream, Dr. King?, where the questions Carson poses tend to be on the narrow end, from “What kind of doctor was Dr. King?” and “Did kids protest for civil rights, too?” to “How did civil rights workers protest peacefully?” The answers, usually one to three paragraphs long, provide a digestible level of information and detail. Although the answers to very specific questions sometimes touch on larger issues, they tend to stay focused on the particulars of the matter at hand. The illustrations feel a bit younger than the text but depict the subject matter appropriately and engagingly. A time line at the end of each book sums up the material. Grades 3-5. --Miriam Aronin