The Cart that Carried Martin by Eve Bunting-OPTIONAL

Bunting, Eve, ill. By Don Tate. The Cart that Carried Martin. Pgs. 29. Charlesbridge Press, 2014. $16.95. INFORMATION

Back in the late 1960s, after Martin Luther King, Jr. was killed, mourners went to great lengths to give the King a beautiful funeral and burial. It even included borrowing an antiques store’s cart, because the owner wasn’t available for two of the mourners to buy the cart off of him. The cart was painted and renovated a bit in order to honor Martin. Afterwards, the cart was placed at his memorial site and one can still go see it today.

A little disappointing for an Eve Bunting book. Although I enjoyed the story and the illustrations, the text eemed at times too simplistic and, at others, the use of flowery, big words would have gone over the general feel of the audience’s heads. More additional information would be needed in the back for older kids to use for Common Core goals, so I assumed it was intended as an introduction to the death of Martin Luther King, Jr. Nevertheless, with the help of an adult, this book could be used in schools as a stepping stone book to introducing Martin Luther King. EL. OPTIONAL. Reviewer: Kira M, Youth Services Librarian, WHI Public Library.