The Life and Times of Coretta Scott King
August 1, 2023
Grades 3-6 Born to parents who encouraged her to ""get an education and try to be somebody,"" Coretta Scott studied hard and spoke out against racial injustice when she encountered it. After marrying Martin Luther King Jr., she became a steadying influence during the tumultuous civil rights era. Told in alternating spreads of prose and verse (to acknowledge CSK's musical talents), Duncan's picture-book biography emphasizes the personal strengths and virtues that make CSK a civil rights icon in her own right, in addition to being MLK's life partner. Duncan uses a variety of poetic styles, ranging from acrostics and haiku to free verse, that walk readers chronologically through key moments in CSK's life, while the prose passages generally provide wider historical context. Christie's mixed-media, watercolor illustrations appear on every spread, depicting cited events and individuals, conveying the emotions of those involved, and providing important setting details. He employs a full-color palette, although yellows, oranges, and greens predominate. A moving introduction to this indefatigable social-justice advocate. Back matter includes photos, a time line, and an author's note.
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Starred review from July 15, 2023
Coretta Scott King's embrace of her husband's legacy was one of many ways she fought injustice. Though young Coretta's family owned land, they were not exempt from the racial injustice of 1930s and '40s Alabama: overcrowded segregated schools; her family home and her father's lumber mill being burned to the ground. Still, they persevered. After excelling in high school, Coretta attended Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio. When she was denied the opportunity to do her practice teaching in the white public schools, she fought back. After college, Coretta moved to Boston to study music at the New England Conservatory, where she met Martin Luther King Jr., a doctoral student at Boston University. They married and moved to Montgomery, Alabama, and as she raised their growing family, she also supported her husband in his philosophy of nonviolent resistance and sought to speak out for international peace. When Dr. King was killed in 1968, Mrs. King intensified her efforts in support of freedom for all and pushed for a national holiday to honor his life's work. Duncan depicts Coretta's path through both verse and prose; the many poetic forms she employs reflect the complexities of her subject's life, and the strong prose gives a clear picture of her determined personality. Christie's impressionistic mixed-media watercolor illustrations are stunning, beginning with the powerful cover that immediately commands attention. Exuding emotion, each image perfectly complements the intriguing text. (This book was reviewed digitally.) A beautiful pairing of words and images that highlights a remarkable life. (timeline, author's note, bibliography, text and picture credits) (Picture-book biography. 7-10)
COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
September 25, 2023
Blending poetry and prose to chart the path of Coretta Scott King (1927–2006), Duncan and Christie portray a person who was formidable from her earliest years. A timeline that employs various poetic forms is interspersed with richly rendered scenes in third-person narration detailing Coretta’s childhood and adulthood. In segregated Heiberger, Ala., her birthplace, Coretta followed her mother’s advice to “get an education and try to be somebody,” becoming valedictorian of her high school, earning a college scholarship to Antioch, and studying at the New England Conservatory, where she met Martin Luther King Jr. They married and “followed a cosmic calling” to Montgomery, Ala. There, she supported his ministry and, after his assassination, lectured denouncing “racism, homophobia, poverty, and war.” Christie’s mixed-media watercolors center stylized portraiture based on key moments in the figure’s life. Ages 7–10.
Starred review from September 1, 2023
In a sophisticated, poetic picture-book biography, Duncan alternates double-page spreads featuring prose or poems in a variety of forms that highlight Coretta Scott King's accomplishments. ("I wanted to capture the musical quality of her voice and bearing.") Each poem highlights a significant date, such as 1927, which opens the book: "Alabama soil / A fertile plain of black earth / Coretta was born." Lengthy prose sections expand on the poems' topics or move the narrative forward. From her childhood in Alabama under Jim Crow to college in Ohio and studying music in Boston, Coretta followed her mother's encouragement to "get an education and try to be somebody" and her father's assurance that she could "do anything anyone else can do." After Coretta's marriage to Martin Luther King Jr., Duncan describes how the husband-and-wife team became the prominent faces of the civil rights movement and ardent proponents of nonviolent protest. Following MLK's assassination, Coretta continued the mission and worked to establish a national holiday in honor of her husband. Duncan's reverent tone gleams thanks to an effective combination of forthright prose and eclectic poetic forms. Christie conveys the highlights of Coretta's life story in vivid and engaging watercolor renderings. A timeline and bibliography are appended. Pauletta Brown Bracy
(Copyright 2023 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
Starred review from October 6, 2023
Gr 2-5-A marvelous tribute to the activist, singer, and wife of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Duncan crafts a captivating look at the life and legacy of Coretta Scott King. Her father was the first Black man in their segregated Alabama town to own a vehicle, and the Scotts owned acres of land and several businesses. The destruction of their property multiple times and her father's fearlessness only served to inspire her journey. When she was denied a chance to teach in the white public schools, she waged a one-woman protest. Through this nuanced biography of the "Mother of the Civil Rights Movement," readers will learn how Coretta Scott King's passion for social justice was ingrained in her from birth. After Dr. King's assassination, she dedicated her life to ensuring that he was memorialized with a national holiday. Duncan's narrative emphasizes King's strength and bravery, and how she inspired her husband to make difficult choices for the cause. The text's musicality recalls King's vocalist background. The alternating formats, prose and a variety of poetry forms, add to the subject's treatment as a heroic figure on a fateful journey. The author's text leans heavily on metaphors connected to the cosmos and celestial objects, reflecting the Kings' belief that they were divinely appointed by God, their "cosmic partner." Christie's art is done in mixed media watercolors, and readers will wish they could physically touch the paintings. Back matter includes a time line, thorough bibliography, and an author's note. VERDICT Gorgeous text and resplendent illustrations present a nuanced picture book biography for all shelves.-Shelley M. Diaz
Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
January 1, 2024
In a sophisticated, poetic picture-book biography, Duncan alternates double-page spreads featuring prose or poems in a variety of forms that highlight Coretta Scott King's accomplishments. ("I wanted to capture the musical quality of her voice and bearing.") Each poem highlights a significant date, such as 1927, which opens the book: "Alabama soil / A fertile plain of black earth / Coretta was born." Lengthy prose sections expand on the poems' topics or move the narrative forward. From her childhood in Alabama under Jim Crow to college in Ohio and studying music in Boston, Coretta followed her mother's encouragement to "get an education and try to be somebody" and her father's assurance that she could "do anything anyone else can do." After Coretta's marriage to Martin Luther King Jr., Duncan describes how the husband-and-wife team became the prominent faces of the civil rights movement and ardent proponents of nonviolent protest. Following MLK's assassination, Coretta continued the mission and worked to establish a national holiday in honor of her husband. Duncan's reverent tone gleams thanks to an effective combination of forthright prose and eclectic poetic forms. Christie conveys the highlights of Coretta's life story in vivid and engaging watercolor renderings. A timeline and bibliography are appended.
(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)