2024


MLK Day of Service Book List




Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day offers Americans a chance to remember and celebrate the life and legacy of the man who advanced the civil rights of black people through a campaign of civil disobedience.

In celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day (MLK Day), we put together a small collection of books that highlight Dr. King’s life and the movement he inspired. Dr. King’s legacy continues to live on, from the impactful Civil Rights Movement to the present-day activism we see in communities across the country.
Join us on this national day of service and celebrate MLK Day with a special book for you and your young reader! These titles promise to provide insight into our history and inspire our future.

Title Spotlight

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A Sweet Smell of Roses
Angela Johnson and Eric Velasquez
There's a sweet, sweet smell in the air as two young girls sneak out of their house, down the street, and across town to where men and women are gathered, ready to march for freedom and justice.
Inspired by the countless young people who took a stand against the forces of injustice, two Coretta Scott King Honorees, Angela Johnson and Eric Velasquez, offer a stirring yet jubilant glimpse of the youth involvement that played an invaluable role in the Civil Rights movement.

Additional MLK Day of Service Titles

Dream March
Vaunda Micheaux Nelson and Sally Wern Comport
Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me ‘Round: The Story of the Making of Martin Luther King Day
Kathlyn J. Kirkwood and Steffi Walthall
I’ve Seen the Promised Land
Walter Dean Myers and Leonard Jenkins
Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King
Jean Marzollo and Brian Pinkney
Martin and Mahalia: His Words, Her Song
Andrea Davis Pinkney and Brian Pinkney
A Place to Land
Barry Wittenstein and Jerry Pinkney
Martin Luther King, Jr. and the March on Washington
Frances E. Ruffin and Stephen Marchesi

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