“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”
Monday, January 19, 2026, is the 40th anniversary of the federal observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. As we prepare to honor and reflect on the life of a committed civil rights leader, orator, and man of peace, consider exploring these 12 picture books for guidance and inspiration.
In Sharing the Dream (Nancy Paulsen Book, 2025), Shelia P. Moses and Keith Mallett collaborate on a historical fiction story about a young girl inspired by King’s dream for children all over the world. Alice Faye Duncan (Coretta’s Journey and Memphis, Martin, and the Mountaintop) returns with another poetry offering in remembrance of King. In The Dream Builder’s Blueprint: Dr. King’s Message to Young People (Calkins Creek, 2026), Duncan “reinterprets King’s speech as a motivational erasure poem…accompanied by spirited and inspired art by Philadelphia-born illustrator E. B. Lewis.” Some memories included in the picture books are personal narratives from loved ones of Martin Luther King Jr.
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1. The Dream Builder’s Blueprint: Dr. King’s Message to Young People
Alice Faye Duncan | E.B. Lewis | Calkins Creek | January 6, 2026 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
2. Sharing the Dream
Shelia P. Moses | Keith Mallett | Nancy Paulsen Books | January 7, 2025 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
3. Coretta: The Autobiography of Mrs. Coretta Scott King
Coretta Scott King | Barbara Reynolds | Ekua Holmes | Godwin Books | January 2, 2024 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
4. We Dream a World: Carrying the Light From My Grandparents Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King
Yolanda Renee King | Nicole Tadgell | Orchard Books | January 2, 2024 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
5. Coretta’s Journey: The Life and Times of Coretta Scott King
Alice Faye Duncan | R. Gregory Christie | Calkins Creek | September 26, 2023 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
6. Memphis, Martin, and the Mountaintop: The Sanitation Strike of 1968
Alice Faye Duncan | R. Gregory Christie | Calkins Creek | August 28, 2018 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
7. Be a King: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Dream and You
Carole Boston Weatherford | James E. Ransome | Bloomsbury | January 2, 2018 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
8. My Daddy, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King III | A. G. Ford | Amistad | August 6, 2013 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
9. Martin & Mahalia: His Words, Her Song
Andrea Davis Pinkney | Brian Pinkney | Little, Brown BYR | July 30, 2013 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
10. I Have a Dream
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. | Kadir Nelson | Schwartz & Wade | October 9, 2012 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
11. Coretta Scott
Ntozake Shange | Kadir Nelson | Katherine Tegen Books | January 6, 2009 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
12. My Brother Martin: A Sister Remembers Growing Up with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Christine King Farris | Chris Soentpiet | Simon & Schuster BYR | January 1, 2003 | PB | Amazon | Bookshop
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