The Dream Builder's Blueprint

Dr. King's Message to Young People

Illustrated by E. B. Lewis
Hardcover
$19.99 US
On sale Jan 06, 2026 | 32 Pages | 9781662680311

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A riveting found poem for kids based on Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Street Sweeper” speech.

Dr. King's words are creatively interpreted in this nonfiction picture book written by acclaimed author Alice Faye Duncan, accompanied by gorgeous artwork by E. B. Lewis.


In a speech delivered in 1967, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. provided his young audience with life lessons:
  • You count.
  • Black is beautiful.
  • Achieve excellence.
  • Make a better world.
  • Believe in nonviolence.
  • Keep going!

Today, award-winning author Alice Faye Duncan reinterprets King’s speech as a motivational erasure poem in The Dream Builder’s Blueprint, accompanied by spirited and inspired art by Philadelphia-born illustrator E. B. Lewis. Highlighting principles of excellence, activism, and compassion that remain relevant and necessary today, this book has a universal message that’s ideal for parents, librarians, and teachers looking for a book that distills Dr. King's principles to a level that kids can understand.

Included in the book is an author’s note that explains found poetry forms like the erasure poem and provides background information on the Civil Rights movement and Dr. King’s inspiring speech at Philadelphia’s Barratt Junior High School.
© Tarrice Love
Alice Faye Duncan is the author of multiple children’s books, including Memphis, Martin, and the Mountaintop, which received a 2019 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor and five starred reviews, and Just Like Mama, which was nominated for the NAACP Image Award. Her most recent books include Opal Lee and What it Means to Be Free, Evicted!, and Yellow Dog Blues. She lives in Memphis, Tennessee. Visit alicefayeduncan.com for more information. View titles by Alice Faye Duncan
The recipient of a Caldecott Honor and an Orbis Pictus Award, along with many others, E. B. Lewis is the illustrator of more than seventy books for children. His Calkins Creek titles include Invincible by Wade Hudson, Seeking Freedom by Selene Castrovilla, and Lizzie Demands a Seat by Beth Anderson, which won Bank Street College of Education's Flora Stieglitz Straus Award for excellence in nonfiction, along with many other honors. He is also the illustrator of Everywhere Beauty Is Harlem, also by Gary Golio. Visit eblewis.com for more information. View titles by E. B. Lewis

About

A riveting found poem for kids based on Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Street Sweeper” speech.

Dr. King's words are creatively interpreted in this nonfiction picture book written by acclaimed author Alice Faye Duncan, accompanied by gorgeous artwork by E. B. Lewis.


In a speech delivered in 1967, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. provided his young audience with life lessons:
  • You count.
  • Black is beautiful.
  • Achieve excellence.
  • Make a better world.
  • Believe in nonviolence.
  • Keep going!

Today, award-winning author Alice Faye Duncan reinterprets King’s speech as a motivational erasure poem in The Dream Builder’s Blueprint, accompanied by spirited and inspired art by Philadelphia-born illustrator E. B. Lewis. Highlighting principles of excellence, activism, and compassion that remain relevant and necessary today, this book has a universal message that’s ideal for parents, librarians, and teachers looking for a book that distills Dr. King's principles to a level that kids can understand.

Included in the book is an author’s note that explains found poetry forms like the erasure poem and provides background information on the Civil Rights movement and Dr. King’s inspiring speech at Philadelphia’s Barratt Junior High School.

Author

© Tarrice Love
Alice Faye Duncan is the author of multiple children’s books, including Memphis, Martin, and the Mountaintop, which received a 2019 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor and five starred reviews, and Just Like Mama, which was nominated for the NAACP Image Award. Her most recent books include Opal Lee and What it Means to Be Free, Evicted!, and Yellow Dog Blues. She lives in Memphis, Tennessee. Visit alicefayeduncan.com for more information. View titles by Alice Faye Duncan
The recipient of a Caldecott Honor and an Orbis Pictus Award, along with many others, E. B. Lewis is the illustrator of more than seventy books for children. His Calkins Creek titles include Invincible by Wade Hudson, Seeking Freedom by Selene Castrovilla, and Lizzie Demands a Seat by Beth Anderson, which won Bank Street College of Education's Flora Stieglitz Straus Award for excellence in nonfiction, along with many other honors. He is also the illustrator of Everywhere Beauty Is Harlem, also by Gary Golio. Visit eblewis.com for more information. View titles by E. B. Lewis

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