I knew a little bit about Coretta Scott King’s story, but mostly how it related to her husband Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. And when I saw Coretta’s Journey: The Life and Times of Coretta Scott King I was wondering how much her life would be shaped by her husbands? How much would there be about her and not just “oh she was this really famous guy’s wife and mother of his children?” Well, there is a lot about her. More than I really would have imagined to be honest.
She was a middle child and the child of a hardworking family. She was a child of a mother who told her and her sister to go out and be someone, not just a wife. She was a child of a man who preached forgiveness, strength and was a powerful, soft man. She was a woman who would educate herself and be a strong defender of what was right, civil rights, and so much more.
Alice Faye Duncan saw a woman who was more than the veiled lady at her husband’s funeral, and shows how she was a spitfire. With her music, and her determination shining through the poetic prose of Duncan, a woman who shapes history comes alive. And that is shown in creative images of the illustrator R. Gregory Christie. The images are interesting in the way they are presented. You can see how she related to the people and places around her. You see the history unfolding, and how the colors and details mix, support that.
While in the picture book format, it could go up to third, even fourth grade. However, that style might turn those readers off. It is for the older students as it is text heavy. Due September 2023, this book was read via an online reader copy. 
