School Library Journal

Bunting’s quietly sorrowful prose is rather like free-verse poetry, maximizing the power of the story of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s funeral with minimal language. This event needs no adornment; from the soaring hymns sung in Ebenezer Baptist Church to the size of the crowds along the procession route to the humble farm cart that carried King’s body, the details of the day speak forcefully to the impact of this man on society. Bunting focuses in particular on the rough-hewn cart, borrowed from a junk store and given a coat of green paint for the procession from the church to Morehouse College. The cart was hitched to a pair of mules and guided through the streets of Atlanta, carrying the civil rights leader’s body past thousands of mourners, whose hushed reverence is echoed in Bunting’s sparing, soft narrative. Tate also employs a quietness in his artwork. Whereas bold colors would suit a book about King’s activism, the soft wash of the illustrations is appropriate to his silenced voice and the stillness of his grieving followers. This beautiful presentation, centered on a humble detail, is a gentle, stirring introduction to what Martin Luther King, Jr.—and his loss—signified.—Alyson Low, Fayetteville Public Library, AR