about the book
Tens of thousands of mourners lined the streets between Ebenezer Baptist Church, the Georgia state capitol, and Morehouse College. Who could possibly draw such a crowd, even in death?
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
A better question is, what could make the funeral of a famous civil rights leader more ordinary? How could any aspect of such a large procession show how humble the man really was?
The fact that King’s body was pulled on an old cart by two donkeys.
King’s character shines through on this three-mile journey as the onlookers sing, “We Shall Overcome”, never giving up hope even in their grief.
about the author
Eve Bunting grew up in Maghera, Northern Ireland, which didn’t have a library. Now, decades later, the village has grown into a town and its library has an entire section dedicated to Eve’s books. Even though she’s lived in the United States for a long time now, Maghera still considers her a local author.
While attending college in Ireland, she met her husband. They lived in Belfast for a number of years, but were frustrated with the bad economy, religious discrimination, and rainy weather. So in 1958, the couple and their three children moved to California.
At age 36, when her children didn’t need as much of her attention, Eve took a writing class at Pasadena City College. Three years later, in 1972, her first book was published. She’s gone on to write over 250 books that span age groups and genres. Spying on Miss Muller is even autobiographical.
Her books have received numerous awards, including the Golden Kite Award (1976), Edgar Award (1993), and Caldecott Medal (1995).
Eve and her husband have been married for over 50 years. They live in Pasadena, California.
Sources:
Author biography: KidsReads
Author biography: Goodreads
Author biography and video interview: Reading Rockets
Author interview: Scholastic
Also by Eve Bunting:
Whose Shoe? Clarion. 2015.
Yard Sale. Candlewick Press. 2015.
P Is for Pirate : A Pirate Alphabet. Sleeping Bear Press. 2014.
Washday. Holiday House. 2014.
Big Bear’s Big Boat. Clarion. 2013.
Have You Seen My New Blue Socks? Clarion. 2013.
Ballywhinney Girl. Clarion. 2012.
Tweak Tweak. Clarion. 2011.
Hey Diddle Diddle. Boyds Mills Press. 2011.
Pirate Boy. Holiday House. 2011.
Finn McCool and the Great Fish. Sleeping Bear Press. 2010.
Will It Be a Baby Brother? Boyds Mills Press. 2010.
The Banshee. Clarion. 2009.
Our Library. Clarion. 2008.
S Is for Shamrock : An Ireland Alphabet. Sleeping Bear Press. 2007.
The Baby Shower. Charlesbridge. 2007.
Emma’s Turtle. Boyds Mills Press. 2007.
My Mom’s Wedding. Sleeping Bear Press. 2006.
Pop’s Bridge. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 2006.
That’s What Leprechauns Do. Clarion. 2006.
One Green Apple. Clarion. 2006.
My Red Balloon. Boyds Mills Press. 2005.
about the illustrator
An extremely creative child, Don Tate went through several creative phases: macramé (tying knots to make textiles instead of weaving or knitting), copper enameling, clay, puppets, and finally figure drawing. In high school, when all the guys were trying to perfect their free-throw, Don was perfecting his drawing skills.
After receiving an associate’s degree in applied art from Des Moines Area Community College, Don worked as a graphics reporter at the Des Moines Register and Austin American-Statesman newspapers. He was also the art director of an advertising and market research firm. However, he’s now a full-time book illustrator and author.
The first book he illustrated, Say Hey: A Song of Willie Mays, was a biography about a baseball star. It was the first manuscript that was offered to him. Even though he’s never been a sports person, he accepted the job because he was desperate and determined to get a book published and have it in bookstores. He would have accepted practically any manuscript to accomplish this goal!
While illustrating The Cart That Carried Martin, the thing he worried about most was showing Martin Luther King, Jr.’s coffin. Coffins scare Don. He gets a sick feeling in his stomach and quickly looks away, so he assumed most kids feel this way. Eventually, he came to the realization that the coffin wouldn’t be scary in this book because the crowd surrounding it is so full of love.
He is one of the founding hosts of the blog The Brown Bookshelf, which is a blog dedicated to books for African American young readers. It contains book reviews, as well as author and illustrator interviews.
Even though Don doesn’t like sports, he is a “gym-rat.” He’s even competed in natural, drug-free bodybuilding.
Don currently lives in Austin, Texas, with his wife and son.
Sources:
Illustrator website
Illustrator interview: Cynthia Leitich Smith
Illustrator interview: Writing With a Broken Tusk
Illustrator biography: Wikipedia
Also by Don Tate:
Poet : The Remarkable Story of George Moses Horton. Peachtree Publishers. September 2015.
The Amazing Age of John Roy Lynch. William B. Eerdman’s Publishing. 2015.
Hope’s Gift. Putnam Publishing. 2012.
Duke Ellington’s Nutcracker Suite. Charlesbridge. 2011.
She Loved Baseball : The Effa Manley Story. Balzer + Bray. 2010.
I Am My Grandpa’s Einkelin. Paraclete Press. 2007.
read more!
Belle, the Last Mule at Gee’s Bend : A Civil Rights Story by Calvin Alexander Ramsey
A young boy learns why a special mule is allowed to graze all he wants. The people of Gee’s Bend had never dared to vote, but Dr. Martin Luther King encouraged them to register. When authorities closed the ferry, Belle and another mule provided transportation for every black voter. Later, she pulled the simple farm cart that held Dr. King’s casket.
Washday by Eve Bunting
It’s washday in April 1889! Since Lizzie’s mother is pregnant and can’t help Grandmother on washday, Lizzie is happy to help out. However, it does mean missing the tea party she had planned with her friend and their dolls. The two work together to clean all the clothes, and once everything is hung out to dry, Lizzie gets a surprise.
We March by Shane W. Evans
A family of four wakes on the morning of August 23, 1983, and prepares to march on Washington DC, demonstrating for jobs and freedom. But this is no ordinary march. This day, Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. will deliver his historic speech, “I Have a Dream.”