Bayard Rustin

by J.P. Miller, Markia Jenai (Illustrations)

Learn about Bayard Rustin’s fascinating life and how he played a role in one of the most important Civil Rights events in American history in the book Bayard Rustin―part of the Leaders Like Us African American childrens books series. Discover what led to Rustin becoming one of Martin Luther King Jr.’s advisers, as well as some of the initiatives he took part in to end racial injustice and discrimination during the civil rights movement. Storybook About Rourke We proudly publish respectful and relevant non-fiction and fiction titles that represent our diverse readers, and are designed to support reading on a level that has no limits!

Genres: Biography, Picture Books, Nonfiction

24 pages, Paperback

Published August 11, 2020

Reviews

[Phoebe]

I learned a lot about a civil rights activist I didn't know about before from this book. In addition to the colorful illustrations, easy to read text, and well paced storytelling, I love how this book highlights a different kind of activist: one who works in the background, planning and organizing, but isn't always in the limelight. I also love how the story highlights the community that formed him, including his family and the historic Black church that raised money to pay for his education. The book briefly touches on his gay identity. I'm glad there are more children's books out there about the Civil Rights movement that are about more than just MLK Jr. and the I Have A Dream speech. I received this book to review from the Amazon Vine program.

[Sarah Shorter]

IT'S A CHILDREN'S BIOGRAPHY ABOUT BAYARD RUSTIN WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT???? HAPPY PRIDE!!!

Seriously, though, the fact that this book even exists thrills me. Bayard Rustin is an awesome civil rights leader who most people don't know about because--guess what?--He's gay!
The fact that he's in a book for kids that shows how important he was to MLK and the Civil Rights Movement is awesome, and that they explicitly state "he was gay" is just. I'm so glad it's here!

Bayard Rustin is an incredibly cool historical figure. Basically, if you know about MLK, if you know who John Lewis is, you should know Bayard Rustin, too. A driving force behind the Civil Rights Movement, Rustin often gets overlooked or glossed over because see above re: gay. I don't think I'd even heard of him until a few years ago, and it was specifically in a queer history context.

The one comment I have is that the book makes it sound like Bayard Rustin not being in the spotlight was a...like a positive choice? When in reality, IIRC, he knew (and others knew) that the fact that he was gay would be detrimental to the message of the movement. That he COULDN'T be a face of the civil rights movement because being black and gay would have been Too Much For The Times. I'm not sure how you'd include that in a kids book, at least one at this reading level so I didn't rate it down for that. Would only have been like a half-star, anyway.

BAYARD RUSTIN! I lost my mind when I saw it. Get it for every child and adult in your life. Read it yourself.

[Melanie Dulaney]

A part of the Leaders Like Us series, author J. P. Miller gives children ages 6-10 a succinct and approachable biography of a lesser known hero from the Civil Rights era. Rustin was an activist in the vein of MLK and supported peaceful protest in order to bring change to a country that was still divided along racial lines. He worked alongside those with more name recognition, helping groups organize and plan protests and, in fact, was key in the plans for the Montgomery Boycott of 1956 and the 1963 March on Washington. Backmatter includes a timeline of Rustin’s life, a glossary of terms as well as guide to reading aloud plus text-dependent and application level questions to be used in discussions. Illustrations by artists Marcia Jenai supplement the text beautifully. Added note: One sentence does state that Bayard Rustin was gay and also experienced prejudice stemming from that fact. Excellent choice for libraries seeking to represent the lives of those who fought peacefully for change. Thanks for the preview copy, Amazon Vine.

[Kris Dersch]

Pros first: There's not NEARLY enough written about this civil rights leader so the fact that a kids picture book biography exists about him is super important and this communicates the basics of his life in a straightforward way.

What I wanted from this book and it really wasn't was a real authentic picture book biography. This book probably has to conform to the structure of the series it is in but in a world where picture book biographies tell great and compelling stories, this felt old school and flat.

[Ellice]

I'm fascinated by gay, Quaker, Civil Rights activist Bayard Rustin. This picture book introduces children to his story. It's a major challenge to tell such a complex tale in 24 pages with just a few sentences on each page, but I think the book does OK. The illustrations are also suitably simple for young readers.

[Annamarie Carlson (she, her)]

Learn about Civil Rights activist Bayard Rustin, a lead planner of the March on Washington, in a Leaders Like Us picture book biography. Each book follows a similar pattern and ends with a timeline, glossary, index, text-dependent questions, and an extension activity.

[Andrew]

If you don't know Bayard Rustin,
he is the man who aided Martin Luther King, Jr., especially with his famous 'I have a dream' speech;
Meet the man behind the iconic activist!

Simple but Realistic illustrations accommodate the text.
Let history be shared beyond famous figures.

[Sharlene Robertson]

Thank you for producing a kids book about this amazing man! Now can we have more please! :)

[Alice]

3.5 stars for this biography

[Earl]

Great to see a picture book biography about Bayard Rustin. Unfortunately, the presentation was bland.

[Sharon]

Quick reads like this introduce an individual and whet the appetite to go deeper into who they were and what they did.

[Maggie Ignasiak]

I'm happy to have purchased this for the collection at my public library. There is very little information available about Rustin below a middle school reading level/accessibility point, which makes bridge reading hard if you're trying to read something like Troublemaker, or expand LGBTQ+ representation in your civil rights readings.

I'm going to be thinking of this particular title though for future displays and discussions at the library, because it does everything else so amazingly well. Highest points were the timeline, the glossary, the Rourke page, and the GORGEOUS artwork.

Some parts of it felt a little jumpy, but that is literally my only negative thought. I just felt like a kid would need a little more backstory before jumping right into the March on Washington, to understand why Rustin would be there, be so nervous, and just general framing. I'm clearly an over-explainer, so what do I know?

Based upon this book, I am definitely ordering the rest in the series for the juvenile non-fiction collection, and I especially can't wait to read Sister Rosetta Tharpe's edition.