"My Brother Martin: A Sister Remembers Growing Up with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr." by Christine King Farris. Illustrated by Chris Soentpiet. Simon & Schuster, 2006.

A stirring memoir by the older sister of Martin Luther King Jr., the children's book, "My Brother Martin," focuses on the life of the King family in pre-Civil Rights era Atlanta, Georgia. Farris chronicles the childhood experiences of the future leader in a light-hearted, yet poignant voice, ever mindful of her brother's impact on America as well as his tragic fate.  Farris opens her story by saying, "Gather around and listen as I share childhood memories of my brother, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  I am his older sister, and I've known him longer than anyone else.  I knew him long before the speeches he gave and the marches he led and the prizes he won.  I even knew him before he first dreamed the dream that would change the world."

Throughout the brightly illustrated book, Farris remembers incidents that were pivotal in the shaping of King's participation in the Civil Rights Movement.  In one heartbreaking memory, Farris talks about the King's neighborhood on Auburn Avenue. One day the King brothers went across the street to invite two of their friends to play, "...but they came home alone.  The boys had told my brothers that they couldn't play together anymore because [they] were Negroes."

In another passage, the author remembers a conversation between young Martin and his mother, who explains to her son the harsh realities of racial prejudice in America.  Prophetically, young Martin looks his mother in the face and responds, "Mother Dear, one day I'm going to turn this world upside down."  This story testifies that God's call does not begin at any particular age, but that God is preparing servants from their humblest beginnings to be agents of healing in the world. Grounding Martin Luther King, Jr.'s adult ministry in the context of his childhood reminds us that vocational preparation is a life-long process.  This book provides a helpful introduction for children to the idea of calling and would serve both as a heartwarming bedtime story and the basis of a children's sermon.  Ultimately, though, Farris's book is an inspirational reminder that Martin Luther King, Jr., hero of the Civil Rights Movement is also a beloved brother, gone too soon.