An introduction to one of the most outstanding Americans of the twentieth century, perfect for young readers. Born in 1929, Martin Luther King, Jr. grew up to become a civil rights leader whose philosophy and practice of nonviolent civil disobedience helped African Americans win many battles for equal rights. Young readers will learn how his interest in equality was sparked by experiences in his childhood, and how his legacy shaped modern America. Pairing detailed illustrations and an accessible narrative of Dr. King's life, this book is ideal for a discussion about the history behind the holiday, or an early introduction to the struggle for civil rights in America. Includes a timeline of important dates. For almost thirty years, David Adler’s Picture Book Biography series has profiled famous people who changed the world. Colorful, kid-friendly illustrations combine with Adler’s “expert mixtures of facts and personality” ( Booklist ) to introduce young readers to history through compelling biographies of presidents, heroes, inventors, explorers, and adventurers. These books are ideal for first and second graders interested in history or who need reliable sources for school book reports.

Learn more about the incredible life of an escaped slave turned famous abolitionist, orator, journalist, and author. Born into slavery on a Maryland plantation, Frederick Douglass grew up to have a way with words. Contemporaries found it hard to believe that an escaped slave with no formal education could be so eloquent. Yet thousands turned out to hear him speak. A tireless advocate to end slavery, Douglass urged slaves to escape and revolt. He inspired many with his bestselling autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave . Later on, Douglass cemented his status as a pivotal figure in American history when he helped Abraham Lincoln issue the Emancipation Proclamation. He continued to fight for equality during Reconstruction and became the first African American to receive a vote for President of the United States in a major party's roll call vote. This accessible biography for children examines Douglass's amazing life with easy-to-understand facts and details, alongside elegant illustrations. Back matter includes a timeline and author's notes. For almost thirty years, David Adler’s Picture Book Biography series has profiled famous people who changed the world. Colorful, kid-friendly illustrations combine with Adler’s “expert mixtures of facts and personality” ( Booklist ) to introduce young readers to history through compelling biographies of presidents, heroes, inventors, explorers, and adventurers.

When a powerful mystic steps on the hand of a radical young hippie doctor from Detroit, it changes lives and the world. Sometimes Brilliant chronicles the adventures of a philosopher, seeker, unconventional doctor, groundbreaking tech innovator, and key player in the eradication of one of the worst pandemics in human history. His story--about what happens when love, compassion, and determination meet the right circumstances to effect positive change--is the kind that keeps hope and the sense of possibility alive. After sitting at the feet of Martin Luther King Jr. at the University of Michigan in 1963, Larry Brilliant was swept up into the civil rights movement, marching and protesting across America and Europe. As a radical young doctor, he followed the Hippie Trail from London over the Khyber Pass with his wife Girija, Wavy Gravy, and the Hog Farm commune to India. There, he found himself in a Himalayan ashram wondering whether he had stumbled into a cult. Instead, one of India's greatest spiritual teachers, Neem Karoli Baba, opened Larry's heart and told him his destiny was to work for the World Health Organization to help eradicate deadly smallpox. He never would have believed he'd become a key player in eliminating a ten-thousand-year-old disease that killed more than half a billion people in the twentieth century alone. Brilliant's unlikely trajectory, chronicled in Sometimes Brilliant, has brought him into close proximity with political leaders, spiritual masters, cultural heroes, and titans of technology around the world--from the Grateful Dead to Mikhail Gorbachev, from Ram Dass, the Dalai Lama, Lama Govinda, and Karmapa to Steve Jobs and the founders of Google, Salesforce, Facebook, Microsoft, and eBay, and Presidents Carter, Clinton, George W. Bush, and Obama. Anchored by the engrossing account of the heroic efforts of the extraordinary people involved in smallpox eradication in India, this is a riveting and fascinating epidemiological expedition, an honest reckoning of an entire generation, and a deeply moving spiritual memoir. It is a testament to faith, love, service, and what it means to engage with life's most important questions in pursuit of a better, more brilliant existence.