John Lewis in the Lead: A Story of the Civil Rights Movement

by Jim Haskins, Kathleen Benson, Benny Andrews (Illustrator)

A biography of John Lewis, one of the Big Six civil rights leaders of the 1960s, focusing on his involvement in Freedom Rides, the March on Washington, and the march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama."

Genres: Biography, History, Picture Books, Nonfiction, African American, Social Issues, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2006

Reviews

[Earl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Congressman John Lewis is truly a hero. I was glad I stumbled upon this picture book biography. After reading the March trilogy and Preaching to the Chickens, I was curious to see which events would be repeated and which would be skipped to fit this format. It covered the salient points and I even learned some new incident from his past- the storm at his aunt's house.

I wasn't particularly thrilled by the illustrations with this one. Subject matter wise, after reading this, I was extremely pleased to discover this was published by Lee & Low way before the popularity of March. I'm super impressed with their mission and that they manage to accomplish it by the books they put out!

[Stacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Text > illustrations

[Tianna Stephens · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very informative story on the trials and tribulations of John Lewis as he fought for civil rights along side other influential leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King. John Lewis grew up in a time full of prejudice, segregation and unfair treatment of African American people. Even as a child he was angered by the system of oppression the prevented his family from gaining success. Although encouraged by his mother to remain quiet and stay out of trouble, John felt that he must stand up for what he believed was right. Inspired by Dr. King and Gandhi, John began trying to promote social change through non-violent protest. Regardless of how many times he was brutally attacked and beaten, John never gave up. He was the youngest to speak at he March on Washington where Dr. King gave his famous "I Have A Dream" speech. He also played a major role in the march from Selma to Montgomery for voter's rights. This was a pinnacle moment in the civil right's movement also known as bloody Sunday. This book provided me with knowledge on both John Lewis and his impact on the civil right's movement. I was originally unaware of who exactly John Lewis was and this book was a great way to delve into his past and learn about his life/contributions to the world today. I enjoyed reading this book and getting a slightly different perspective than all the other books I read as a child than revolved mainly around Dr. King.

I could use this book in my future classroom as a social studies text on civil rights. It has important events and dates that were crucial to the civil right's movement. It could also be used to show the child other influential leaders in the civil rights movement as opposed to only learning about Dr. King, Rosa Parks, etc. It could be used as a biography example to help integrate social studies and writing.

[Turrean · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did not live the illustrations but the text was a pleasure. I liked the way anecdotes from Lewis's childhood were chosen to inform his adult choices.

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book opened my eyes to another member of the Civil Rights Movement, who worked alongside Dr. King. Although the illustrations did not inspire me to read further and the pages were text heavy, I recommend this book for anyone who would like to understand the Civil Rights Movement from another pair of eyes. The black and white photo montage at the back is an authetic representation of this period.

[Katie Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though John Lewis was told by his mother to deal with what was going on, he took a stand for himself and others of his race. He never gave up and in 1965 he finally got what he worked for. In 1965 President Johnson singed the Voting Rights Act. I would use this book in my classroom for children to do research with. It is very informational and has details about what happened from the time he was a child to when the Act was passed.

[Abbi Kraus · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked how this gave a brief history of John's childhood, but mainly focused on his impact on the civil right movement. In the back of the book, there is a timeline of his life, and many real pictures of John throughout time, including a recent picture.

[Nativida · Rating 5 out of 5]

Illustrated by Benny Andrews.

[Riegs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here's a good one to introduce the idea/impact of police brutality.

[Monique · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book to help children learn about the civil rights movement

[Sonya · Rating 5 out of 5]

The pictures are mind blowing and the story is solid the pictures seal the deal for me!