As America prepares to commemorate the birthday of our country’s most iconic civil rights leader and Black History Month, families can learn more about Martin Luther King, Jr. and other heroes of African American history in an entertaining and educational new Scholastic Storybook TreasuresTM DVD release. MARCH ON! THE DAY MY BROTHER MARTIN CHANGED THE WORLD…AND MORE STORIES ABOUT AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY includes more than an hour of inspiring true stories.

The lead story, March On! The Day My Brother Martin Changed the World, is a moving account of the day when Martin Luther King, Jr. presented his “I Have a Dream” speech to the world during the civil rights March on Washington in1963. The story is told by Dr. King’s sister, Dr. Christine King Ferris, with colorful animation of London Ladd’s illustrations. As a bonus, the DVD includes an interview with the author, Dr. King Ferris. As the American Library Association noted about the production, “Lynn Whitfield’s sensitive and stirring narration is enriched with audio clips of Mahalia Jackson’s powerful song, crowd noises, and clips from MLK’s speech. Music by Michael Bacon sets the tone for the film and seamlessly accommodates songs of the era.”

Three more historical tales follow King’s amazing, true-life story, each carefully adapted from award-winning children’s books: Martin’s Big Words (adapted from the book by Doreen Rapport, illustrated by Michael Collier), Rosa (written and narrated by Nikki Giovanni, illustrations by Michael Sporn), Henry’s Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad (based on the book by Ellen Levine, illustrated by Kadir Nelson). Together the stories have won 15 awards, including the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Children’s Video, Caldecott Honor Award, and selection as a American Library Association Notable Video. Celebrity narration by Whitfield, Michael Clark Duncan and others, plus engaging music, make these tales come to life for a new generation of Americans.

The SCHOLASTIC STORYBOOK TREASURES series hails from the vaults of Weston Woods Studios, world-renowned for their careful film and video adaptations of best-selling children’s storybooks. Librarians and teachers around the country have long been using these very same productions, created by Weston Woods Studios with authors and illustrators, to enhance their students’ pre-reading experiences. Founded more than 50 years ago, and now a division of Scholastic, Weston Woods continues to produce top-notch video storytelling. SCHOLASTIC  STORYBOOK TREASURES collects and presents these productions for the home marketplace and has, since its launch in 2003, become a top award-winning home video franchise for children.

My Thoughts…

Thanks to Beth Blenz-Clucas of  Foundry Communications and Scholastic, I received MARCH ON! The Day My Brother Martin Changed the World … and more stories about African American History from Scholastic Storybook Treasures collection.

This DVD features four stories featuring great leaders in African American history such as those about Martin Luther, Rosa Parks, and several others. You’ll find that each of the stories are narroated by Lynn Whitefield and Michael Clarke Duncan to name just a few.  Like the other DVD’s in the Scholastic Treasury series, this one also offers a read a long option of which I believe is a must in helping your children follow along. The illustrations bring these great moments to life and the added interviews by Christine King Farris and Ellen Levine  speaks revelations into educating our children of such great leaders.

Teachers or homeschool parents can check out the Media Center to download video clips and study guides(PDF) for MARCH ON! The Day My Brother Martin Changed the World from Stories of People Who Changed America.

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Disclaimer: I was sent MARCH ON! The Day My Brother Martin Changed the World … and more stories about African American History for review from Beth Blenz-Clucas of  Foundry Communications and Scholastic . This review is 100% my opinion and has not been edited or reviewed by anyone. I was not compensated in any other way for this product review.