Young Martin's Promise

by Walter Dean Myers, Barbara Higgins Bond (Illustrator)

Relates events in Martin Luther King, jr.'s, childhood which sowed the seeds for his activism for equal rights for people, regardless of their color

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography

Library Binding

First published October 1, 1992

About the author

pseudonyms:
Stacie Williams
Stacie Johnson

Walter Dean Myers was born on August 12, 1937 in Martinsburg, West Virginia but moved to Harlem with his foster parents at age three. He was brought up and went to public school there. He attended Stuyvesant High School until the age of seventeen when he joined the army.

After serving four years in the army, he worked at various jobs and earned a BA from Empire State College. He wrote full time after 1977.

Walter wrote from childhood, first finding success in 1969 when he won the Council on Interracial Books for Children contest, which resulted in the publication of his first book for children, Where Does the Day Go?, by Parent's Magazine Press. He published over seventy books for children and young adults. He received many awards for his work in this field including the Coretta Scott King Award, five times. Two of his books were awarded Newbery Honors. He was awarded the Margaret A. Edwards Award and the Virginia Hamilton Award. For one of his books, Monster, he received the first Michael Printz Award for Young Adult literature awarded by the American Library Association. Monster and Autobiography of My Dead Brother were selected as National Book Award Finalists.

In addition to the publication of his books, Walter contributed to educational and literary publications. He visited schools to speak to children, teachers, librarians, and parents. For three years he led a writing workshop for children in a school in Jersey City, New Jersey.

Walter Dean Myers was married, had three grown children and lived in Jersey City, New Jersey. He died on July 1, 2014, following a brief illness. He was 76 years old.

Reviews

[Pamela Powell · Rating 4 out of 5]

An accessible first biography of Martin Luther King, Jr. The story starts when Martin is a preschooler and continues through his adult years.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice book.

[Natalie Traylor]

Young Martin's Promise is a story that explains events that could have really happened in Martin Luther King Jr.'s life. Martin goes to the store with his dad and the store clerk refuses to let them sit near the window just because they are African-American. Young Martin sees the racism that exists in society and decides he will change it by giving his "I Have a Dream" speech.

I would read this book to my students near Martin Luther's holiday. We would discuss how slavery used to exist in America and I would come up with a certificate that the children could get that made them promise to never discriminate against someone.

[Keely · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a solid choice for early childhood because it provides examples and definitions of segregations, laws, and customs. It shows examples of racism in an age appropriate way and briefly explains how MLK, Jr. worked through nonviolent protest so all children could attend school and play together. It leaves discussion about MLK, Jr.'s assassination at the teacher's discretion. It also includes a page that specifically explains what Martin Luther King day is and why we celebrate it as a holiday.

[Emily Powers · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is written about Martin Luther King Jr. when he was a child. It talks about how many children left him out of activities simply because of his skin color. I would read this book in my classroom because it can relate to our history. It teaches our history in a way that young students can understand.

[Andrea Thomas, Greenville · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is easy for students to understand. It would be a good book to use to focus on characterization and diversity. You get to see how Martin Luther King Jr. felt as a child.

[Liz Bautista · Rating 4 out of 5]

Making his Dream, mine too.