Coretta Scott King Book Awards - All Recipients, 1970-Present

By Year: 1970 | 1971| 1972| 1973| 1974| 1975| 1976| 1977| 1978| 1979| 1980| 1981| 1982| 1983| 1984| 1985| 1986| 1987| 1988| 1989| 1990| 1991| 1992| 1993| 1994| 1995| 1996| 1997| 1998| 1999| 2000| 2001| 2002| 2003| 2004| 2005| 2006| 2007| 2008| 2009| 2010| 2011| 2012| 2013| 2014| 2015| 2016| 2017| 2018| 2019| 2020| 2021| 2022 2023

By Decade: 1970s| 1980s| 1990s| 2000s| 2010s| 2020s

 

2023 Author Winner “Freewater,” written by Amina Luqman-Dawson, is the Coretta Scott King Author Book winner. The book is published by JIMMY Patterson/Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.

2022

2022 Author Winner

The 2022 Coretta Scott King Book Awards Author Winner is Carole Boston Weatherford, author of "Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre". "Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre",  published by Carlrhoda Books, an imprint of Lerner Publishing Group Inc., provides a powerful look at the 1921 Tulsa race massacre, one of the worst incidents of racial violence in our nation's history. 

Carole Boston Weatherford is a Newbery Honor author, New York Times best-seller and two-time NAACP Image Award winner. Since her 1995 debut, she has published 50-plus books, including multiple Coretta Scott King and Caldecott Awards and Honors.  

 

 

 

2022 Illustrator Winner

The 2022 Coretta Scott King Book Awards Illustrator Winner is Floyd Cooper, illustrator of "Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre". "Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre",  published by Carlrhoda Books, an imprint of Lerner Publishing Group Inc., provides a powerful look at the 1921 Tulsa race massacre, one of the worst incidents of racial violence in our nation's history. “Using oil and erasure for his illustrations, the late, great Mr. Cooper brought to life one of America’s darkest and most devastating events in lifelike paintings that are full of emotion and detail.” said Jason Driver, 2022 CSK Jury Chair.

Floyd Cooper received a Coretta Scott King Award for his Illustrations for the Blacker the Berry and won Coretta Scott King honors for “Brown honey in Broom Wheat Tea”, “Meet Danitra Brown”, and “I Have Heard of a Land”. Born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma, he first heard about the Tulsa Race Massacre from his grandfather, who survived it as a young man. Cooper passes away in July 2021 making Unspeakable one of his last projects. 

 

 

 

 

2022 John Steptoe Award for New Talent (Author)

The 2022 Coretta Scott King Book Awards John Steptoe Award for New Talent Author goes to Amber McBride for “Me (Moth),” published by Feiwell and Friends, an imprint of Macmillan Publishing Group. The Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award for New Talent affirms new talent and offers visibility for excellence in writing and/or illustration at the beginning of a career as a published African American creator of children’s books. Me (Moth) is McBride's debut novel. 

 

 

 

 

2022 John Steptoe Award for New Talent (Illustrator)

The 2022 Coretta Scott King Book Awards John Steptoe Award for New Talent Illustrator goes to Regis and Kahran Bethencourt for The Me I Choose to Be” published by Little, Brown, and Company. The Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award for New Talent affirms new talent and offers visibility for excellence in writing and/or illustration at the beginning of a career as a published African American creator of children’s books. 

 

 

 

 

2022 Author Honor Books

“Home Is Not A Country” by Safia Elhillo, published by Make Me A World, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House.

“Revolution in Our Time: The Black Panther Party’s Promise to the People” by Kekla Magoon, published by Candlewick Press 

“The People Remember” by Ibi Zoboi, illustrated by Loveis Wise, published by Balzer + Bray, an imprint of Harper Collins Publishers

2022 Illustrator Honor Books

"Nina: A Story of Nina Simone” illustrated by Christian Robinson, written by Traci N. Todd, and published by by G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Random House

“We Wait for the Sun” Illustrated by Raissa Figueroa, written by Dovey Johnson Roundtree & Katie McCabe, and published by Roaring Brook Press, an imprint of Macmillan Publishing Group

“Soul Food Sunday” illustrated by C.G. Esperanza, written by Winsome Bingham, and published by Abrams Books for Young Readers, an imprint of ABRAMS

2022 Coretta Scott King-Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement (Author/Illustrator) 

Nikki Grimes is the recipient of the 2022 Coretta Scott King-Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement. The award pays tribute to the quality and magnitude of beloved children’s author Virginia Hamilton.

Nikki Grimes has been widely recognized for her distinguished contribution to children’s and young adult literature, winning major awards including: 2020 ALAN Award, 2017 Children’s Legacy Award, The Virginia Hamilton Award at Kent State, a Coretta Scott King author award and five Coretta Scott King author honors. After more than 77 books, she has sealed her legacy by weaving poetry and novels in verse into an impressive body of work. Grimes currently resides in Corona, California, where she continues her powerful writing.

 

 

 

(c) 2022 

The Coretta Scott King Book Awards seal images and award names are solely and exclusively owned by the American Library Association.

2021

2021 Author Winner

The 2021 Coretta Scott King Book Awards Author Winner is Jacqueline Woodson, author of "Before the Ever After." “Before the Ever After,” published by Nancy Paulsen Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, is Jacqueline Woodson’s stirring novel-in-verse which explores how a family moves forward when their glory days have passed and the effects of professional sports on the Black body. 

Jacqueline Woodson is the recipient of the 2020 Hans Christian Andersen Award, the 2018 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, and the 2018 Children’s Literature Legacy Award. She was the 2018–2019 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, and in 2015, she was named the Young People’s Poet Laureate by the Poetry Foundation. She received the 2014 National Book Award for her New York Times bestselling memoir “Brown Girl Dreaming,” winner, a four-time National Book Award finalist, and a two-time Coretta Scott King Award winner. 

 

 

 

2021 Illustration Winner

The 2021 Coretta Scott King Book Awards Illustrator Winner is Frank Morrison, illustrator of “R-E-S-P-E-C-T: Aretha Franklin, The Queen of Soul". “R-E-S-P-E-C-T: Aretha Franklin, The Queen of Soul,” written by Carole Boston Weatherford and published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing Division, is an early indoctrination into hip-hop culture that can be seen through Morrison’s work, which has been dubbed a mash-up of urban mannerism, graffiti and abstract contemporary, and reflects deeply on the lost of human stories from past eras.

Frank Morrison is the award-winning illustrator of many books for young readers, including “Jazzy Miz Mozetta,” winner of the Coretta Scott King - John Steptoe Award for New Talent; “Little Melba and Her Big Trombone,” a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor book; “Muhammad Ali,” and “How Sweet the Sound.” Before becoming a children’s book illustrator and fine artist, Morrison toured the globe as a break-dancer. He lives in Georgia with his family. 

 

2021 John Steptoe Award for New Talent (Author)

The 2021 Coretta Scott King Book Awards John Steptoe Award for New Talent Author goes to Tracy Deonn for “Legendborn,” published by Margaret K. McElderry Books, an imprint of Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing Division.  Filled with mystery and an intriguingly rich magic system, Tracy Deonn’s YA contemporary fantasy “Legendborn” offers the dark allure of “City of Bones” with a modern-day twist on a classic legend and a lot of Southern Black Girl Magic. The Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award for New Talent affirms new talent and offers visibility for excellence in writing and/or illustration at the beginning of a career as a published African American creator of children’s books. This is Deonn's debut novel. 

 

 

 

 

 

2021 Author Honor Books

 

“All the Days Past, All the Days to Come,” by Mildred D. Taylor, and published by Viking, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC

“King and the Dragonflies,” by Kacen Callender, and published by Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic Inc.

“Lifting as We Climb: Black Women’s Battle for the Ballot Box,” by Evette Dionne, and published by Viking an Imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.

2021 Illustrator Honor Books

“Magnificent Homespun Brown,” illustrated by Kaylani Juanita, written by Samara Cole Doyon, and published by Tilbury House Publishers

“Exquisite: The Life of Gwendolyn Brooks,” illustrated by Cozbi A. Cabrera, written by Suzanne Slade, and published by Abrams Brooks for Young Readers, an imprint of ABRAMS

“Me and Mama,” illustrated and written by Cozbi A. Cabrera, and published by Denene Millner Books/Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. 

2021 Coretta Scott King-Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement (Practitioner) 

Dorothy L. Guthrie is the winner of the Coretta Scott King – Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement. The award pays tribute to the quality and magnitude of beloved children’s author Virginia Hamilton.

Dorothy L. Guthrie is an award-winning retired librarian, district administrator, author and school board member. A respected children’s literature advocate, Guthrie promotes and affirms the rich perspectives of African Americans. Her work, “Integrating African American Literature in the Library and Classroom,” inspires educators with African American literature. Guthrie founded the first African American museum in her home, Gaston County, North Carolina.

 

 

(c) 2021 

The Coretta Scott King Book Awards seal images and award names are solely and exclusively owned by the American Library Association.

2020

2020 Author Winner

The 2020 Coretta Scott King Book Awards Author Winner is Jerry Craft, author of "New Kid". “New Kid” published by HarperCollins Children’s  Books, a division of HarperCollins Publishers, tells the story of Jordan Banks, an artistic Black middle school student who has transferred from public school to an elite, predominantly White private school and must contend not only with typical middle school challenges but also with microaggressions and code-switching. Told in a graphic novel format, Jordan’s experiences are rendered highly accessible to young people and include his own doodles, journal entries and handbooks for middle school students. 

Author and Illustrator Jerry Craft creates impactful picture books, middle grade and graphic novels, and comics. He has won five African American literary awards and has co-founded Schomburg’s prestigious Annual Black Comic Book Festival. Born in New York City, Craft lives in Norwalk, CT.

 

 

 

2020 Illustrator Winner

The 2020 Coretta Scott King Book Awards Illustrator Winner is Kadir Nelson, illustrator of "The Undefeated" written by Kwame Alexander and published by Versity, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. "The Undefeated"  is an emotional deep dive into the unapologetic brilliance of the Black experience in the face of unspeakable injustice. Capturing the excellence of iconic figures in Black history, as well as the known and unknown victims of brutality, this book showcases the raw humanity of generations of determination and will. Themes of survival, hope, and resilience permeate in this masterful picture book,

Kadir Nelson is the author and illustrator of numerous titles, as well as the illustrator of several commemorative postage stamps. Nelson is a two-time Caldecott Honor Award winner. He received an NAACP Image Award for the book Just the Two of Us. For his book, We Are The Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball, he received the 2008 CASEY Award for best baseball book, the 2009 Coretta Scott King Author Award, and the 2009 Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award.

 

2020 John Steptoe Award for New Talent (Author)

The 2020 Coretta Scott King Book Awards John Steptoe Award for New Talent Author goes to Alicia D. Williams for “Genesis Begins Again,” published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division, a Caitlyn Dlouhy Book. There are 96 things that Genesis hates about herself, and her dark skin is at the top of the list. Genesis tries to hold her family together as she embarks on a journey of self-discovery.  Williams’ authentic youthful storytelling explores how Genesis navigates poverty, family relationships, bullying, and overcomes the feelings of self-hate due to the trauma of colorism.

Alicia Williams is a graduate of the MFA program at Hamline University. An oral storyteller in the African American tradition, she is also a teacher who lives in Charlotte, North Carolina. Genesis Begins Again is her debut novel.

 

 

 

2020 John Steptoe Award for New Talent (Illustrator)

The 2020 Coretta Scott King Book Awards John Steptoe Award for New Talent Illustrator is April Harrison for “What Is Given from the Heart,” published by Schwartz & Wade Books, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. Harrison’s soft illustrations, a mix of collage and acrylic painting, tell the story of James who knows what it’s like to have very little.  When his close friend Sarah’s family loses all they own in a fire, he struggles to come up with a suitable gift to give her.  The carefully pieced together illustrations and earthy tones are a suitable pairing for this tale that reminds the reader that a gift that comes from the heart is always priceless.

April Harrison is self-taught and paints images primarily in acrylics, powders, watercolors, pencils, and collage.  She resides in Greenville, SC.

 

 

2020 Author Honor Books

“Look Both Ways,” by Jason Reynolds, and published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division, a Caitlyn Dlouhy Book.

“The Stars and the Blackness Between Them,” by Junauda Petrus, and published by Dutton Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.

“Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky,” by Kwame Mbalia, and published by Disney-Hyperion, an imprint of Disney Book Group.

2020 Illustrator Honor Books

“The Bell Rang,” illustrated by written by James E. Ransome and published by Atheneum Books For Young Readers, an Imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division, a Caitlyn Dlouhy Book

“Infinite Hope: A Black Artist’s Journey from World War II to Peace” illustrated and written by Ashley Bryan and published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing Division, a Caitlyn Dlouhy Book.

“Sulwe,” illustrated by Vashti Harrison written by Lupita Nyong’o, and published by Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division

2020 Coretta Scott King-Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement (Author and/or Illustrator)

Mildred D. Taylor, is the recipient of the 2020 Coretta Scott King-Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement. Born in Mississippi in 1943 and raised in Ohio, Taylor resides in Colorado.  “Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry,” won the 1977 Newbery Award and a Coretta Scott King Book Award honor.  Taylor received the international 2003 inaugural NSK Neustadt Prize for Children's Literature.  Her books earned national recognition including four CSK author awards and two author honors.  Her 2020 Logan family series conclusion “All the Days Past, All the Days to Come” continues addressing systemic injustice, entrenched inequality and the roots of racism.

The Coretta Scott King-Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement is named in memory of beloved children’s author Virginia Hamilton. In even years (i.e. 2017, 2018, 2020…), the award is presented to an African American author, illustrator or author/illustrator for a body of his or her published books for children and/or young adults, and who has made a significant and lasting literary contribution.

(c) 2020 

The Coretta Scott King Book Awards seal images and award names are solely and exclusively owned by the American Library Association.

2019

2019 Author Winner

The 2019 Coretta Scott King Book Awards Author Winner is Claire Hartfield, author of "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919," published by Clarion Books, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919"  is a meticulously researched exposition of the socio-economic landscape and racial tensions that led to the death of a black teen who wanted to swim, and the violent clash that resulted. In twenty chapters, Hartfield’s balanced, eye-opening account contextualizes a range of social justice issues that persist to this day

 

 

 

 

2019 Illustrator Winner

The 2019 Coretta Scott King Book Awards Illustrator Winner is Ekua Holmes, illustrator of "The Stuff of Stars" written by Marion Dane Bauer and published by Candlewick Press. In "The Stuff of Stars," Holmes uses hand marbled paper and collage to create a lush explosion of color that brings to life the formation of the universe while distinctly reflecting the essence of the African diaspora.

Ekua Holmes is a native and current resident of Boston, Massachusetts, who has worked as an artist, curator, and active member of Boston's art community. She was influenced by the need to fill the void of what she perceived as an absence of positive Black images in her childhood neighborhoods. 

 

 

2019 John Steptoe Award for New Talent (Author)

The 2019 Coretta Scott King Book Awards John Steptoe Award for New Talent Author goes to Tiffany D. Jackon, author of "Monday's Not Coming," published by Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. In the timely thriller “Monday’s Not Coming,” Jackson examines friendship, child abuse, and family relationships. In alternating chapters, the reader is immediately pulled into the angst that Claudia feels as she struggles to piece together this fragmented tale that concludes with a mind-blowing resolution of Monday’s disappearance.

 

 

 

2019 John Steptoe Award for New Talent (Illustrator)

The 2019 Coretta Scott King Book Awards John Steptoe Award for New Talent Illustrator is Oge Mora, illustrator and author of "Thank You, Omu," published by Little, Brown Young Readers. “Thank You, Omu!” is a fresh take on a timeless tale of altruism and community-mindedness. Mora’s collage work is skillfully pieced together with acrylic, marker, pastels, patterned paper, and old book clippings, creating a visual smorgasbord. Mora brings to life an amalgamation of many grandmothers and captures the African spirit of generosity and community.

 

 

 

2019 Author Honor Books

“Finding Langston” by Lesa Cline-Ransome, published by Holiday House. 

“The Parker inheritance” by Varian Johnson, published by Arthur A. Levine Books, an imprint of Scholastic Inc.

“The season of Styx Malone” by Kekla Magoon, published by Wendy Lamb Books, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.

2019 Illustrator Honor Books

“Hidden Figures” illustrated by Laura Freeman, written by Margot Lee Shetterly, published by HarperCollins Children’s Books, a division of HarperCollins Publishers.

“Let the Children March” illustrated by Frank Morrison, written by Monica Clark-Robinson, published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

“Memphis, Martin, and the Mountaintop” illustrated by R. Gregory Christie, written by Alice Faye Duncan, published by Calkins Creek, an imprint of Highlights.

2019 Coretta Scott King-Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement (Practitioner)

Dr. Pauletta Bracy is Professor of Library Science and Director of the Office of University Accreditation at North Carolina Central University (NCCU). She has successfully merged scholarship and service with publications such as “Libraries, Literacy and African American Youth ”(co-edited with Sandra Hughes Hassell and Casey H. Rawson) as well as her work with the  Coretta Scott King Book Awards and with workshops and conferences dedicated to promoting African American books for children and teens. She recently served as co-organizer for Celebrating Our Voices: Black Children's Literature Symposium and Book Festival held at NCCU.

 

 

(c) 2019

The Coretta Scott King Book Awards seal images and award names are solely and exclusively owned by the American Library Association.

2018

2018 Author Award Winner

The 2018 Coretta Scott King Book Awards Author Winner is Renée Watson, author of "Piecing Me Together,” published by Bloomsbury Children's Books. "Piecing Me Together" is an inspiring tale in which Watson pulls the reader into Jade's world by sharing Jade's love for the Spanish language and providing a different, yet necessary story of Black womanhood. 

Renée Watson is an author, educator, and activist from Portland, Oregon, who now lives in New York City. Watson has taught creative writing and theater in public schools and community centers throughout the U.S. for over twenty years. She often focuses on the lived experiences of Black girls and women.  "Watson brings us a coming-of-age tale that eloquently explores the many facets of Jade, a brilliant and creative teen on the brink of young adulthood," said Coretta Scott King Book Awards Jury Chair Sam Bloom.

 

 

 

2018 Illustrator Award Winner

The 2018 Coretta Scott King Book Awards Illustrator Winner is given to Ekua Holmes, illustrator of "Out of Wonder: Poems Celebrating Poets,” written by Kwame Alexander with Chris Colderley and Marjory Wentworth,  published by Candlewick Press.

In "Out of Wonder: Poems Celebrating Poets," Ekua Holmes's mixed-media collage images balance the tone and tenor of the new poems created by the authors, while paying homage to each of the featured poets in the subtle detailas extracted from various aspects.  "Holmes expertly infuses the multilayered poetry with the richness of the Black art aesthetic in her original, evocative, vibrantly colored compositions," said Coretta Scott King Book Awards Jury Chair Sam Bloom.

Ekua Holmes is a native and current resident of Boston, Massachusetts, who has worked as an artist, curator, and active member of Boston's art community. She was influenced by the need to fill the void of what she perceived as an absence of positive Black images in her childhood neighborhoods. 

2018 John Steptoe Award for New Talent (Author)

The Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award for New Talent affirms new talent and offers visibility for excellence in writing and/or illustration at the beginning of a career as a published African-American creator of children’s books.  This year’s winning Author is David Barclay Moore for “The Stars Beneath Our Feet” published by Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Random House Children's Books, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. 

"The Stars Beneath Our Feet" provides a realistic lens on the Black American experience and infuses it with heart, soul, and imagination. Moore plays with language, culture, stereotypes, and reality to create an engaging book that will resonate with youth in urban communities everywhere searching for positive survival techniques.

 

 

 

2018 John Steptoe Award for New Talent (Illustrator)

The Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award for New Talent affirms new talent and offers visibility for excellence in writing and/or illustration at the beginning of a career as a published African-American creator of children’s books.  This year’s winning illustrator is Charly Palmer for “Mama Africa! How Miriam Makeba Spread Hope with Her Song” published by Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC. 

"Mama Africa! How Miriam Makeba Spread Hope with Her Song" visually tells the story of the singer's career through the use of vibrant, colorful illustrations that juxtapose her rise in fame in comparison to the South African people's civil rights struggle with apartheid. Palmer's bold illustrations expertly complement the text in a riveting duet.

 

 

 

2018 Author Honor Books

"Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut" by Derrick Barnes, illustrated by Gordon C. James, and published by Bolden, an Agate Imprint, a Denine Millner Book. 

"Long Way Down" by Jason Reynolds, published by Atheneum, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division, a Caitlyn Dlouhy Book. 

"The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas, published by Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. 

2018 Illustrator Honor Books

"Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut" illustrated by Gordon C. James, written by Derrick Barnes, and published by Bolden, an Agate Imprint, a Denene Millner Book.

"Before She Was Harriet: The Story of Harriet Tubman" illustrated by James E. Ransome, written by Lesa Cline-Ransome, and published by Holiday House. 

2018 Coretta Scott King-Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement

Eloise Greenfield is the recipient of the 2018 Coretta Scott King-Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement. 

"Eloise Greenfield is a trailblazer whose extraordinary books of poetry and prose have influenced many and continue to resonate with children today. Her rich body of work inspires and enriches readers," said Award Committee Chair Deborah D. Taylor.

Eloise Greenfield was born in Parmele, North Carolina, and currently resides in Washington D.C. Early in life, she discovered a love of reading and writing and realized there were few books that showed the fullness of African American life. She published her first book in 1972 and went on to write and publish more than 40 books. From "Honey, I Love" to "The Great Migration," this multiple award-winning author has captivated audiences through the years. 

The Coretta Scott King-Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement is named in memory of beloved children’s author Virginia Hamilton. The annual award is presented in even years to an African American author, illustrator or author/illustrator for a body of his or her published books for children and/or young adults, and who has made a significant and lasting literary contribution.

(c) 2018 

The Coretta Scott King Book Awards seal images and award names are solely and exclusively owned by the American Library Association.

2017

2017 Author Award Winner

The 2017 Coretta Scott King Book Awards Author Winner is given to Congressman John Lewis and Andrew Aydin for “March Book: Three,” published by Top Shelf Productions, an imprint of IDW Publishing, a division of Idea and Design Works LLC.

“March: Book Three,” is a first-hand account of the Civil Rights Movement through Lewis’ eyes. Using vivid language and dynamic visual storytelling, it details events from the Freedom Summer to the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Readers experience the realities of segregation, the sacrifices required for the struggle and the courage that defines true leaders.

Co-author John Lewis is the U.S. Representative for Georgia’s 5^th congressional district and an iconic African-American civil rights activist, who chaired the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). Co-author Andrew Aydin is the digital director and policy advisor in Rep. Lewis’s Washington, D.C. office. They won a Coretta Scott King Author Honor Award in 2014 for the first volume in the series, “March: Book One.” 

“’March: Book Three’ is a riveting and multilayered graphic personal history of the civil rights movement and a window into the mind and experiences of a living legend,” said Coretta Scott King Book Awards Jury Chair Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop.

2017 Illustrator Award Winner

The 2017 Coretta Scott King Book Awards Illustrator Winner is given to Javaka Steptoe, illustrator and author of "Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat,” published by Little, Brown and Company.

In “Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat,” collage style paintings with rich texture, bold colors and thick lines take readers on an emotional journey. Steptoe’s style blends with motifs from Basquiat’s own art to create this stunning picture book biography.

“Steptoe’s illustrations for ‘Radiant Child’ are striking. Painted on found wood, they echo the ‘sloppy, ugly, and sometimes weird, but somehow still beautiful’ quality of Jean-Michel Basquiat’s art, while relating the story of his difficult life,” said Bishop.

Javaka Steptoe is an artist, designer and children’s book illustrator. His debut work, “In Daddy’s Arms I Am Tall: African Americans Celebrating Fathers,” an anthology featuring poetry from notable poets, including Folami Abiade, Dinah Johnson and Carole Boston Weatherford, Angela Johnson and Sonia Sanchez, earned him his first Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award, in 1998; “Jimi: Sounds Like a Rainbow” (written by Gary Golio), received a CSK Illustrator Honor in 2011. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.  

2017 John Steptoe Award for New Talent (Author)

 

"The Sun is Also a Star" written by Nicola Yoon, and published by Delacort Press, an imprint of Random House Children's Books, a division of Penguin Random House LLC

 

 

 

2017 Author Honor Books

"As Brave as You" written by Jason Reynolds, and published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division

"Freedom Over Me: Eleven Slaves, Their Lives and Dreams Brought to Life by Ashley Bryan" illustrated and written by Ashley Bryan, and published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishinig Division

2017 Illustrator Honor Books

"Freedom Over Me: Eleven Slaves, Their Lives and Dreams Brought to Life by Ashley Bryan" illustrated and written by Ashley Bryan, and published by Atheneum Books for Young readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division

"Freedom in Congo Square" illustrated by R. Gregory Christie, written by Carole Boston Weatherford, and published by Little Bee Books, an imprint of Bonnier Publisher Group

"In Plain Sight" illustrated by Jerry Pinkney, written by Richard Jackson, and published by Roaring Brook Press, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishing Holdings Limited Partnership

2017 Coretta Scott King-Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement

Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop

Dr. Bishop is a winner of numerous awards and has served as a respected member of many book awards committees over the course of her long and distinguished career. Her influential writing, speaking, and teaching articulates the history and cultural significance of African-American children’s literature. Her globally cited work, “Mirrors, Windows and Sliding Glass Doors,” has inspired movements for increased diversity in books for young people, and provides the basis for the best multicultural practice and inquiry for students, teachers, writers and publishing houses.

(c) 2017

The Coretta Scott King Book Awards seal images and award names are solely and exclusively owned by the American Library Association.

2016

2016 Author Award Winner

The 2016 Coretta Scott King Book Awards Author Winner is given to Rita Williams-Garcia, author of “Gone Crazy in Alabama.”

“Gone Crazy in Alabama,” published by Amistad, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, is the final book in Williams-Garcia’s trilogy about the Gaither sisters. She blends cultural and family history in a vivid, readable way, laced with humor. Each sister is a distinct individual, growing, changing, and helping to change the perspectives of their elders. 

Rita Williams-Garcia is the author of several award-winning books for young people, including the 2014 Coretta Scott King Book Award for “P.S. Be Eleven” and “One Crazy Summer,” recipient of the 2011 Coretta Scott King Book Award and Newbery Honor title. Williams-Garcia is also the recipient of the Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction. She lives in Jamaica, N.Y., and is on the faculty of the Vermont College of Fine Arts’ Writing for Children and Young Adults Program.

“Rita Williams-Garcia has written a convincing, often humorous portrayal of three young sisters from Brooklyn spending the summer in the South, living and learning in the bosom of a complicated but loving multigenerational family,” said Coretta Scott King Book Awards Jury Chair Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop.

2016 Illustrator Award Winner

The 2016 Coretta Scott King Book Awards Illustrator Winner is given to Bryan Collier, illustrator of “Trombone Shorty."

In “Trombone Shorty,” written by Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews and Bill Taylor, and published by Abrams Books for Young Readers, an imprint of ABRAMS, Collier creates vibrant, bold color collages and realistic images that portray the musical growth of a young boy in the jazz tradition of the Tremé neighborhood of New Orleans.

“Collier’s illustrations beautifully capture important events in Andrews’s life, as well as the spirit of his beloved city and the music that is at the heart of both New Orleans and Trombone Shorty,” said Bishop.

Bryan Collier is the illustrator of over 25 picture books and the recipient of multiple awards, including the Coretta Scott King Book Award, Caldecott Honor, and Ezra Jack Keats New Illustrator Award.  He lives with his family in upstate New York, where he creates illustrations and visits classrooms to share his books and art.   

2016 John Steptoe Award for New Talent

The Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award for New Talent affirms new talent and offers visibility for excellence in writing and/or illustration at the beginning of a career as a published African American creator of children’s books. This year’s winners are Ronald L. Smith, author of “Hoodoo,” published by Clarion Books, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company; and Ekua Holmes, illustrator of “Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer, Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement,” written by Carole Boston Weatherford and published by Candlewick Press.

“Hoodoo” is the rich, atmospheric tale of a boy trying to ward off an evil spirit in 1930s small-town Alabama. When the foreboding Stranger comes to town, Hoodoo Hatcher must use the folk magic passed down in his extended family to save the day.

“Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer, Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement” is a powerful biography of the heroic Civil Rights leader. Told with inspiring poetry and vivid images, Hamer’s humanity shines through in this impressive collection.

2016 Author Honor Books

“All American Boys” by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely, and published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division.

“The Boy in the Black Suit” by Jason Reynolds, and published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division.

“X: A Novel” by Ilyasah Shabazz with Kekla Magoon, published by Candlewick Press.

2015

2015 Author Award Winner

The 2015 Coretta Scott King Book Awards Author Winner is given to Jacqueline Woodson, author of “brown girl dreaming.”

Published by Nancy Paulson Books, an imprint of Penguin Group, Penguin Group (USA) LLC, is an absorbing free verse memoir of a young girl growing up black and female in the 1960s and ‘70s full of arresting details and vivid imagery. Her choice of events and memories incorporate important historical events and her own evolution into the award-winning writer she has become.

From the time she was a child scribbling her name, Woodson told stories both true and not so true. After graduating from Adelphi University, she published her first book in 1990. Winner of many book awards, most recently the 2014 National Book Award Young People’s Literature, her published works range from picture books to young adult novels.

2015 Illustrator Award Winner

The 2015 Coretta Scott King Book Awards Illustrator Winner is given to Christopher Myers, illustrator of “Firebird."

Written by Misty Copeland and published by G. P. Putnam’s Sons, Penguin Group USA, the illustrations of Myers depict the brilliant colorful world of the ballerina with its dancers on en pointe.

“The vibrant lines and colors mirror the movement of Copeland’s “Firebird”, says Patton.  “Encased in gorgeous collages and endpaper, balletic poses, leaping and bounding into the air at tremendous heights spur the imagination and inspire a young girl’s hopes and dreams,” said Patton.

Born in New York, Myers is a graduate of Brown University. He also participated in the Whitney Museum of Art Independent Studio Program. His illustrations have received numerous awards, including a Caldecott Honor, and four Coretta Scott King Honors. Meyers lives in Brooklyn, where, in addition to his illustrating children’s books, he is also a photographer and clothing designer. 

2015 John Steptoe Award for New Talent

The 2015 John Steptoe Award for New Talent is given to Jason Reynolds, author of "When I Was the Greatest,” published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division.  

Reynolds' lively and engaging portrayal of urban teenage boys is a compelling story about neighborhood, family, friendship, values and the acceptance of difference.

Living in an underserved neighborhood in Brooklyn, Allen/Ali befriends Noodles and his brother Needles, who has Tourette syndrome. In an authentic contemporary voice, Reynolds focuses on the importance of family, the acceptance of responsibility and the obligations of friendship and portrays a likeable teenager learning how to be a good man.

2015 Author Honor Books

“The Crossover” by Kwame Alexander and published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

“How I Discovered Poetry” by Marilyn Nelson, illustrated by Hadley Hooper and published by Dial Books, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA) LLC.

“How It Went Down” by Kekla Magoon, and published by Henry Holt and Company, LLC.

2014

2014 Author Award Winner

Rita Williams-Garcia, author of “P.S. Be Eleven” published by Amistad, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. In this spirited stand-alone sequel to “One Crazy Summer,” the Gaither sisters return to Brooklyn after a summer spent with their mother in Oakland, California. Delphine, Vonetta and Fern thrive in the tumultuous era of the late 1960s, but Delphine is tasked by her mother to, “P.S. Be Eleven.”

Rita Williams-Garcia, the author of the Newbery Honor–winning novel “One Crazy Summer,”  also a winner of the Coretta Scott King Award, a National Book Award finalist, and the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction. Residing in Jamaica, N.Y., she is on the faculty at the Vermont College of Fine Arts.

2014 Illustrator Award Winner

Bryan Collier, illustrator of “Knock knock: my dad’s dream for me” illustrated by Bryan Collier and published by Little, Brown and Company, Hachette Book Group. In “Knock knock: my dad’s dream for me,” Bryan Collier brings to life Daniel Beaty’s powerful narrative of a son’s longing for his absent father. With his distinctive watercolor and collage technique, Collier captures the nuances of the urban setting and the son’s journey to manhood.

2014 John Steptoe Award for New Talent

Theodore Taylor III, illustrator of for “When the beat was born: DJ Kool Herc and the creation of hip hop” written by Laban Carrick Hill and published by Roaring Brook Press, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishing Holdings Limited Partnership .  Taylor's stylish artwork shows young Clive Campbell’s transformation into the DJ who helped launch hip-hop in the early 70’s. Using retro cartoon-style illustrations rendered in a palette that emphasizes browns, greens, reds and greys he transforms words on a page into a rhythmic beat that brings the words alive.  

2014 Author Honor

John Lewis and Andrew Aydin, authors of “March: Book One," illustrated by Nate Powell, and published by Top Shelf Productions

Walter Dean Myers, authors of “Darius & Twig,” published by Amistad, an imprint of HarperCollins Publisher

Nikki Grimes, author of “Words with Wings,” published by WordSong, an imprint of Highlights

2014 Illustrator Honor

Kadir Nelson, illustrator and author of “Nelson Mandela,” published by Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

Coretta Scott King - Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement

• Patricia and Frederick McKissack, award-winning authors of books for children and young adults

The Coretta Scott King Book Awards seal images and award names are solely and exclusively owned by the American Library Association.

 

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2013

Author Award Winner

• Andrea Davis Pinkney, author of Hand in Hand: Ten Black Men Who Changed America, published by Disney/Jump at the Sun Books, an imprint of Disney Book Group.

Illustrator Award Winner

• Bryan Collier, illustrator of I, Too, Am America, published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division. 

Author Honor

• Jacqueline Woodson, author of Each Kindness, illustrated by E. B. Lewis, and published by Nancy Paulsen Books, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group

• Vaunda Micheaux Nelson, author of No Crystal Stair: A Documentary Novel of the Life and Work of Lewis Micheaux, Harlem Bookseller, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie, and published by Carolrhoda Lab, an imprint of Carolrhoda Books, a division of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc.

Illustrator Honor

• Daniel Minter, illustrator of Ellen’s Broom, written by Kelly Starling Lyons, and published by G. P. Putnam’s Sons, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group

• Christopher Myers, illustrator and author of H. O. R. S. E., published by Egmont USA

• Kadir Nelson, illustrator of I Have a Dream: Martin Luther King, Jr., written by Martin Luther King, Jr., and published by Schwartz & Wade Books, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc.

John Steptoe Award for New Talent

No award presented

Coretta Scott King - Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement

• Demetria Tucker, Family and youth services librarian for the Pearl Bailey Library, a branch of the Newport News (Va.) Public Library System

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2012

Author Award Winner 

• Kadir Nelson, author and illustrator of Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans (Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers)

Illustrator Award Winner      

• Shane W. Evans, author and illustrator of Underground: Finding the Light to Freedom (A Neal Porter Book, published by Roaring Brook Press, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishing Holdings Limited Partnership)

Author Honor 

• Eloise Greenfield, author of The Great Migration: Journey to the North, illustrated by Jan Spivey Gilchrist (Amistad, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers)

• Patricia C. McKissack, Never Forgotten, illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon (Schwartz & Wade Books, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc.)

Illustrator Honor  

• Kadir Nelson, author and illustrator of Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans (Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers)

John Steptoe Award for New Talent

Coretta Scott King - Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement

• Ashley Bryan, storyteller, artist, author, poet, and musician

 

2011

Author Award Winner

• Rita Williams-Garcia, author of One Crazy Summer (Amistad, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers)

Illustrator Award Winner

• Bryan Collier, illustrator of Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave, written by Laban Carrick Hill (Little, Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.)  

Author Honor

• Walter Dean Myers, author of Lockdown (Amistad, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers)

• Jewell Parker Rhodes, author of Ninth Ward (Little, Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.)

• G. Neri, author of Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty, illustrated by Randy DuBurke (Lee & Low Books, Inc.)

Illustrator Honor

• Javaka Steptoe, author of Jimi: Sounds Like a Rainbow: A Story of the Young Jimi Hendrix, written by Gary Golio (Clarion Books, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company)

John Steptoe Award for New Talent

• Victoria Bond and T. R. Simon, authors of Zora and Me (Candlewick Press)

• Sonia Lynn Sadler, illustrator of Seeds of Change, written by Jen Cullerton Johnson (Lee & Low Books, Inc.)

Coretta Scott King - Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement

• Dr. Henrietta Mays Smith, professor emerita at the University of South Florida, Tampa, School of Library and Information Science 

 

2010

• Vaunda  Micheaux Nelson, author of Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, Deputy U.S. Marshal, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie (Carolrhoda Books, a division of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc.).

• Charles R. Smith, Jr., illustrator of My People, text by Langston Hughes (ginee seo books, Atheneum Books for Young Readers)

• Tanita S. Davis, author of Mare’s War (Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc.)

• E.B. Lewis, illustrator of The Negro Speaks of Rivers; text by Langston Hughes (Disney - Jump at the Sun Books, an imprint of Disney Book Group)

• Kekla Magoon, author of The Rock and the River (Aladdin, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division)

• Walter Dean Myers, author

 

2009

• Kadir Nelson, author and illustrator of We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball (Disney-Jump at the Sun, an imprint of Disney Book Group)

• Floyd Cooper, illustrator of The Blacker the Berry, written by Joyce Carol Thomas (Joanna Cotler Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers)

• Hope Anita Smith, author of Keeping the Night Watch (Henry Holt and Company)

• Joyce Carol Thomas, author of The Blacker the Berry, illustrated by Floyd Cooper (Joanna Cotler Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers)

• Carole Boston Weatherford, author of Becoming Billie Holiday (Wordsong, an imprint of Boyds Mills Press, Inc.)

• Kadir Nelson, author and illustrator of We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball (Disney-Jump at the Sun, an imprint of Disney Book Group)

• Jerry Pinkney, illustrator of The Moon Over Star, written by Diana Hutts Aston (Dial Books for Young Readers, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group)

• Sean Qualls, illustrator of Before John Was a Jazz Giant, by Carole Boston Weatherford (Henry Holt and Company)

John Steptoe Award for New Talent

• Shadra Strickland, illustrator of Bird, written by Zetta Elliott (Lee & Low Books) 

 

2008

• Christopher Paul Curtis, author of Elijah of Buxton (Scholastic)

• Ashley Bryan, author and illustrator of Let it Shine (Atheneum Books for Young Readers)

• Sharon M. Draper, author of November Blues (Atheneum Books for Young Adults)

• Charles R. Smith, Jr., author of Twelve Rounds to Glory: The Story of Muhammad Ali, illustrated by Bryan Collier (Candlewick Press)

• Nancy Devard, illustrator of The Secret Olivia Told Me, written by N. Joy (Just Us Books)

• Leo and Diane Dillon, authors and illustrators of Jazz On A Saturday Night (Scholastic Blue Sky Press)

2007

• Sharon Draper, author of Copper Sun (Simon & Schuster/Atheneum Books for Young Readers)

• Kadir Nelson, illustrator of Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom, written by Carole Boston Weatherford (Jump at the Sun/Hyperion Books for Children)

• Nikki Grimes, author of The Road to Paris (G.P. Putnum’s Sons, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group)

• Christopher Myers, illustrator of Jazz, written by Walter Dean Myers (Holiday House, Inc.)

• Benny Andrews, illustrator of Poetry for Young People: Langston Hughes, edited by David Roessel and Arnold Rampersad (Sterling Publishing Co., Inc.)

2006

Author Award Winner

• Julius Lester, author of Day of Tears: A Novel in Dialogue (Jump at the Sun, an imprint of Hyperion Books for Children)

Illustrator Award Winner

• Bryan Collier, illustrator of Rosa, written by Nikki Giovanni (Henry Holt and Company).

Author Honor

• Tonya Bolden, author of Maritcha: A Nineteenth-Century American Girl (Harry N. Abrams, Inc.)

• Nikki Grimes, author of Dark Sons (Jump at the Sun, an imprint of Hyperion Books for Children)

• Marilyn Nelson, author of A Wreath for Emmett Till, illustrated by Philippe Lardy (Houghton Mifflin Company)

Illustrator Honor

• R. Gregory Christie, illustrator of Brothers in Hope: The Story of the Lost Boys of Sudan, written by Mary Williams (Lee and Low Books)

• Jaime Adoff, author of Jimi & Me (Jump at the Sun, an imprint of Hyperion Books for Children)

 

2005

Author Award Winner

• Toni Morrison, author of Remember: The Journey to School Integration (Houghton Mifflin)

Illustrator Award Winner

• Kadir A. Nelson, illustrator of Ellington Was Not a Street, written by Ntozake Shange (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers)

Author Honor

• Shelia P. Moses, author of The Legend of Buddy Bush (Margaret K. McElderry Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster)

• Sharon G. Flake, author of Who Am I without Him?: Short Stories about Girls and the Boys in Their Lives (Jump at the Sun/Hyperion Books for Children)

• Marilyn Nelson, author of Fortune’s Bones: The Manumission Requiem (Front Street)

Illustrator Honor

• Jerry Pinkney, illustrator of God Bless the Child, text by Billie Holiday and Arthur Herzog Jr. (Amistad, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers)

• Leo and Diane Dillon, illustrators of The People Could Fly: The Picture Book, written by Virginia Hamilton (Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Random House Children's)

2004

Author Award Winner

• Angela Johnson, author of The First Part Last (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers)

Illustrator Award Winner

• Ashley Bryan, author and illustrator of Beautiful Blackbird (Atheneum Books for Young Readers)

Author Honor

• Patricia C. and Fredrick L. McKissack, authors of Days of Jubilee: The End of Slavery in the United States (Scholastic)

• Jacqueline Woodson, author of Locomotion (Grosset & Dunlap)

• Sharon Draper, author of The Battle of Jericho (Atheneum Books for Young Readers)

Illustrator Honor

• Colin Bootman, illustrator of Almost to Freedom, written by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson (Carolrhoda Books)

• Kadir Nelson, illustrator of Thunder Rose, written by Jerdine Nolen (Silver Whistle)

2003

Author Award Winner

• Nikki Grimes, author of Bronx Masquerade (Dial Books for Young Readers)

Illustrator Award Winner

• E. B. Lewis, illustrator of Talkin’ About Bessie: The Story of Aviator Elizabeth Coleman, written by Nikki Grimes (Orchard Books/Scholastic)

Author Honor

• Brenda Woods, author of The Red Rose Box (G. P. Putnam’s Sons)

• Nikki Grimes, author of Talkin’ About Bessie: The Story of Aviator Elizabeth Coleman, illustrated by E.B. Lewis (Orchard Books/Scholastic)

Illustrator Honor

• Leo and Diane Dillon, authors and illustrators of Rap a Tap Tap: Here’s Bojangles—Think of That (Blue Sky Press/Scholastic)

• Bryan Collier, illustrator of Visiting Langston, written by Willie Perdomo (Henry Holt & Co.)

2002

Author Award Winner

• Mildred D. Taylor, author of The Land (Phyllis Fogelman Books/Penguin Putnam)

Illustrator Award Winner

• Jerry Pinkney, illustrator of Goin’ Someplace Special, written by Patricia McKissack (Anne Schwartz Book/Atheneum)

Author Honor 

• Sharon G. Flake, author of Money-Hungry (Jump at the Sun/Hyperion)

• Marilyn Nelson, author of Carver: A Life in Poems (Front Street)

Illustrator Honor  

• Bryan Collier, illustrator of Martin’s Big Words, written Doreen Rappaport (Jump at the Sun/Hyperion)

2001

Author Award Winner

• Jacqueline Woodson, author of Miracle’s Boys (G.P. Putnam’s Sons)

Illustrator Award Winner

• Bryan Collier, author and illustrator of Uptown (Henry Holt)

Author Honor 

• Andrea Davis Pinkney, author of Let It Shine! Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters, illustrated by Stephen Alcorn (Gulliver Books, Harcourt)

Illustrator Honor 

• Bryan Collier, illustrator of Freedom River, written by Doreen Rappaport (Jump at the Sun/Hyperion)

• R. Gregory Christie, illustrator of Only Passing Through: The Story of Sojourner Truth, written Anne Rockwell (Random House)

•  E.B. Lewis, illustrator of Virgie Goes to School with Us Boys, written by Elizabeth Fitzgerald Howard (Simon & Schuster)

2000

Author Award Winner

• Christopher Paul Curtis, author of Bud, Not Buddy (Delacorte)

Illustrator Award Winner  

• Brian Pinkney, illustrator of In the Time of the Drums, written by Kim L. Siegelson (Jump at the Sun/Hyperion Books for Children)

Author Honor 

• Karen English, author of Francie (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)

• Patricia C. and Fredrick L. McKissack, authors of Black Hands, White Sails: The Story of African-American Whalers  (Scholastic Press)

• Walter Dean Myers, author of Monster (HarperCollins)

Illustrator Honor

• E. B. Lewis, illustrator of My Rows and Piles of Coins, written by Tololwa M. Mollel (Clarion Books)

• Christopher Myers, author and illustrator of Black Cat (Scholastic)

1999

Author Award Winner

• Angela Johnson, author of Heaven (Simon & Schuster)

Illustrator Award Winner

• Michele Wood, illustrator of I See the Rhythm, written by Toyomi Igus (Children’s Book Press)

Author Honor 

• Nikki Grimes, author of Jazmin’s Notebook (Dial Books)

• Joyce Hansen and Gary McGowan, authors of Breaking Ground, Breaking Silence: The Story of New York’s African Burial Ground (Henry Holt and Company)

• Angela Johnson, author of The Other Side: Shorter Poems (Orchard Books)

Illustrator Honor

• Floyd Cooper, illustrator of I Have Heard of a Land, written by Joyce Carol Thomas (Joanna Cotler Books/HarperCollins)

• E. B. Lewis, illustrator of The Bat Boy and His Violin, written by Gavin Curtis (Simon & Schuster)

• Brian Pinkney, illustrator of Duke Ellington: The Piano Prince and His Orchestra, written by Andrea Davis Pinkney (Hyperion Books for Children)

1998

Author Award Winner

• Sharon M. Draper, author of Forged by Fire (Atheneum)

Illustrator Award Winner

• Javaka Steptoe, illustrator of In Daddy’s Arms I am Tall: African Americans Celebrating Fathers, written by Alan Schroeder (Lee & Low)

Author Honor 

• James Haskins, author of Bayard Rustin: Behind the Scenes of the Civil Rights Movement (Hyperion)

• Joyce Hansen, author of I Thought My Soul Would Rise and Fly: The Diary of Patsy, a Freed Girl (Scholastic)

Illustrator Honor 

• Ashley Bryan, author and illustrator of Ashley Bryan’s ABC of African American Poetry (Jean Karl/Atheneum)

• Christopher Myers, illustrator of Harlem, written by Walter Dean Myers (Scholastic)

• Baba Wagué Diakité, illustrator of The Hunterman and the Crocodile (Scholastic)

1997

Author Award Winner

• Walter Dean Myers, author of Slam (Scholastic)

Illustrator Award Winner

• Jerry Pinkney, illustrator of Minty: A Story of Young Harriet Tubman, written by Alan Schroeder (Dial Books for Young Readers)

Author Honor

• Patricia C. & Fredrick L. McKissack, authors of Rebels Against Slavery: American Slave Revolts (Scholastic)

Illustrator Honor

• R. Gregory Christie, illustrator of The Palm of My Heart: Poetry by African American Children, edited by Davida Adedjouma (Lee & Low Books Inc.)

• Reynold Ruffins, illustrator of Running the Road to ABC, written by Denize Lauture (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers)

• Synthia Saint James, illustrator of Neeny Coming, Neeny Going, written by Karen English (BridgeWater Books)

1996

Author Award Winner

• Virginia Hamilton, author of Her Stories, illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon (Scholastic/Blue Sky Press)

Illustrator Award Winner

• Tom Feelings, illustrator of The Middle Passage: White Ships Black Cargo (Dial Books for Young Readers)

Author Honor 

• Christopher Paul Curtis, author of The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963 (Delacorte)

• Rita Williams-Garcia, author of Like Sisters on the Homefront (Delacorte)

• Jacqueline Woodson, author of From the Notebooks of Melanin Sun (Scholastic/Blue Sky Press)

Illustrator Honor 

• Leo and Diane Dillon, illustrators of Her Stories, written by Virginia Hamilton (Scholastic/Blue Sky Press)

• Brian Pinkney, illustrator of The Faithful Friend, written by Robert San Souci (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers)

1995

Author Award Winner

• Patricia C. & Fredrick L. McKissack, authors of Christmas in the Big House, Christmas in the Quarters (Scholastic)

Illustrator Award Winner

• James Ransome, illustrator of The Creation, text by James Weldon Johnson (Holiday House)

Author Honor  

• Joyce Hansen, author of The Captive (Scholastic)

• Jacqueline Woodson, author of I Hadn’t Meant to Tell You This (Delacorte)

• Patricia C. & Fredrick L. McKissack , authors of Black Diamond: Story of the Negro Baseball League (Scholastic)

Illustrator Honor 

• Terea Shaffer, illustrator of The Singing Man, written by Angela Shelf Medearis (Holiday House)

• Floyd Cooper, illustrator of Meet Danitra Brown, written by Nikki Grimes (Lothrop, Lee & Shepard)

1994

Author Award Winner

• Angela Johnson, author of Toning the Sweep (Orchard)

Illustrator Award Winner

• Tom Feelings, illustrator of Soul Looks Back in Wonder, edited by Phyllis Fogelman (Dial Books for Young Readers)

Author Honor

• Joyce Carol Thomas, author of Brown Honey in Broom Wheat Tea, illustrated by Floyd Cooper (HarperCollins)

• Walter Dean Myers, author of Malcolm X: By Any Means Necessary (Scholastic)

Illustrator Honor 

• Floyd Cooper, illustrator of Brown Honey in Broom Wheat Tea, written by Joyce Carol Thomas (HarperCollins)

• James Ransome, illustrator of Uncle Jed’s Barbershop, written by Margaree King Mitchell (Simon & Schuster)

1993

Author Award Winner

• Patricia C. McKissack, author of The Dark-Thirty: Southern Tales of the Supernatural, illustrated by Brian Pinkney (Knopf)

Illustrator Award Winner

• Kathleen Atkins Wilson, illustrator of The Origin of Life on Earth: An African Creation Myth, retold by David A. Anderson/SANKOFA (Sights)

Author Honor 

• Mildred Pitts Walter, author of Mississippi Challenge (Bradbury)

• Patricia C. & Fredrick L. McKissack, authors of Sojourner Truth: Ain’t I a Woman? (Scholastic)

• Walter Dean Myers, author of Somewhere in the Darkness (Scholastic)

Illustrator Honor 

• Wil Clay, illustrator of Little Eight John, written by Jan Wahl (Lodestar)

• Brian Pinkney, illustrator of Sukey and the Mermaid, written by Robert San Souci (Four Winds)

• Carole Byard, illustrator of Working Cotton, written by Sherley Anne Williams (Harcourt)

1992

Author Award Winner

• Walter Dean Myers, author of Now is Your Time: The African American Struggle for Freedom (HarperCollins)

Illustrator Award Winner

• Faith Ringgold, illustrator of Tar Beach (Crown)

Author Honor 

• Eloise Greenfield, author of Night on Neighborhood Street, illustrated by Jan Spivey Gilchrist (Dial)

Illustrator Honor

• Ashley Bryan, illustrator of All Night, All Day: A Child’s First Book of African American Spirituals (Atheneum)

• Jan Spivey Gilchrist, illustrator of Night on Neighborhood Street, written by Eloise Greenfield (Dial)

1991

Author Award Winner

• Mildred D. Taylor, author of The Road to Memphis (Dial)

Illustrator Award Winner

• Leo and Diane Dillon, illustrators of Aida, written by Leontyne Price (Harcourt)

Author Honor 

• James Haskins, author of Black Dance in America (Crowell)

• Angela Johnson, author of When I Am Old with You (Orchard)

1990

Author Award Winner

• Patricia C. & Fredrick L. McKissack, authors of A Long Hard Journey: The Story of the Pullman Porter (Walker)

Illustrator Award Winner

• Jan Spivey Gilchrist, illustrator of Nathaniel Talking, written by Eloise Greenfield (Black Butterfly)

Author Honor 

• Eloise Greenfield, author of Nathaniel Talking, illustrated by Jan Spivey Gilchrist (Black Butterfly)

• Virginia Hamilton, author of The Bells of Christmas, illustrated by Lambert Davis (Harcourt)

• Lillie Patterson, author of Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Freedom Movement (Facts on File)

Illustrator Honor

• Jerry Pinkney, illustrator of The Talking Eggs, written by Robert San Souci (Dial)

1989

Author Award Winner

• Walter Dean Myers, author of Fallen Angels (Scholastic)

Illustrator Award Winner

• Jerry Pinkney, illustrator of Mirandy and Brother Wind, written by Patricia McKissack (Knopf)

Author Honor 

• James Berry, author of A Thief in the Village and Other Stories (Orchard)

• Virginia Hamilton, author of Anthony Burns: The Defeat and Triumph of a Fugitive Slave (Knopf)

Illustrator Honor Books

• Amos Ferguson, illustrator of Under the Sunday Tree, written by Eloise Greenfield (Harper)

• Pat Cummings, illustrator of Storm in the Night, written by Mary Stolz (Harper)

1988

Author Award Winner

• Mildred D. Taylor, author of The Friendship (Dial)

Illustrator Award Winner

• John Steptoe, illustrator of Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters: An African Tale (Lothrop)

Author Honor 

• Alexis De Veaux, author of An Enchanted Hair Tale (Harper)

• Julius Lester, author of The Tales of Uncle Remus: The Adventures of Brer Rabbit (Dial)

Illustrator Honor 

• Ashley Bryan, illustrator of What a Morning! The Christmas Story in Black Spirituals, selected by John Langstaff (Macmillan)

• JoeSam, illustrator of The Invisible Hunters: A Legend from the Miskito Indians of Nicaragua, compiled by Harriet Rohmer, et al (Children’s Press)

1987

Author Award Winner

• Mildred Pitts Walter, author of Justin and the Best Biscuits in the World, illustrated by Catherine Stock (Lothrop)

Illustrator Award Winner

• Jerry Pinkney, illustrator of Half a Moon and One Whole Star, written by Crescent Dragonwagon (Macmillan)

Author Honor

• Ashley Bryan, author and illustrator of Lion and the Ostrich Chicks and Other African Folk Tales (Atheneum)

• Joyce Hansen, author of Which Way Freedom (Walker)

Illustrator Honor 

• Ashley Bryan, author and illustrator of Lion and the Ostrich Chicks and Other African Folk Tales (Atheneum)

• Pat Cummings, author and illustrator of C.L.O.U.D.S. (Lothrop)

1986

Author Award Winner

• Virginia Hamilton, author of The People Could Fly: American Black Folktales, illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon (Knopf)

Illustrator Award Winner

• Jerry Pinkney, illustrator of The Patchwork Quilt, written by Valerie Flournoy (Dial)

Author Honor 

• Virginia Hamilton, author of Junius Over Far (Harper)

• Mildred Pitts Walter, author of Trouble’s Child  (Lothrop)

Illustrator Honor 

• Leo and Diane Dillon, illustrators of The People Could Fly: American Black Folktales, written by Virginia Hamilton (Knopf)

1985

Author Award Winner

• Walter Dean Myers, author of Motown and Didi (Viking)

Illustrator Award Winner

Author Honor 

• Candy Dawson Boyd, author of Circle of Gold  (Apple/Scholastic)

• Virginia Hamilton, author of A Little Love (Philomel)

1984

Author Award Winner

•  Lucille Clifton, author of Everett Anderson’s Goodbye, illustrated by Ann Grifalconi (Holt)

Illustrator Award Winner

• Pat Cummings, illustrator of My Mama Needs Me, written by Mildred Pitts Walter (Lothrop)

Author Honor

• Virginia Hamilton, author of The Magical Adventures of Pretty Pearl (Harper)

• James Haskins, author of Lena Horne (Coward-McCann)

• Joyce Carol Thomas, author of Bright Shadow (Avon)

• Mildred Pitts Walter, author of Because We Are (Lothrop)

1983

Author Award Winner

• Virginia Hamilton, author of Sweet Whispers, Brother Rush (Amistad)

Illustrator Award Winner

• Peter Magubane, photographer and author of Black Child (Knopf)

Author Honor

• Julius Lester, author of This Strange New Feeling (Dial)

Illustrator Honor

• John Steptoe, illustrator of All the Colors of the Race, written by Arnold Adoff (Lothrop)

• Ashley Bryan, illustrator of I’m Going to Sing: Black American Spirituals (Atheneum)

• Pat Cummings, illustrator of Just Us Women, written by Jeanette Caines (Harper)

 

1982

Author Award Winner

• Mildred D. Taylor, author of Let the Circle Be Unbroken (Dial)

Illustrator Award Winner

• John Steptoe, illustrator of Mother Crocodile: An Uncle Amadou Tale from Sengal, written by Rosa Guy (Delacorte)

Author Honor

• Alice Childress, author of Rainbow Jordan (Coward-McCann)

• Kristin Hunter, author of Lou in the Limelight (Scribner)

• Mary E. Mebane, author of Mary: An Autobiography (Viking)

Illustrator Honor

• Tom Feelings, illustrator of Daydreamers, written by Eloise Greenfield (Dial)

1981

Author Award Winner

• Sidney Poitier, author of This Life (Knopf)

Illustrator Award Winner

• Ashley Bryan, illustrator of Beat the Story Drum, Pum-Pum (Atheneum)

Author Honor 

• Alexis De Veaux, author of Don’t Explain: A Song of Billie Holiday (Harper)

Illustrator Honor

• Carole Byard, illustrator of Grandmama’s Joy, written by Eloise Greenfield (Collins)

• Jerry Pinkney, illustrator of Count on Your Fingers African Style, written by Claudia Zaslavsky (Crowell)

1980

Author Award Winner

• Walter Dean Myers, author of The Young Landlords (Viking)

• Carole Byard, illustrator of Cornrows, written by Camille Yarbrough (Coward-McCann)

• Berry Gordy, author of Movin’ Up (Harper)

• Eloise Greenfield and Lessie Jones Little, authors of Childtimes: A Three-Generation Memoir (Harper)

• James Haskins, author of Andrew Young: Young Man with a Mission (Lothrop)

• James Haskins, author of James Van Der Zee: The Picture Takin’ Man (Dodd)

• Ellease Southerland, author of Let the Lion Eat Straw  (Scribner)

1979

Author Award Winner

• Ossie Davis, author of Escape to Freedom (Viking)

• Tom Feelings, illustrator of Something on My Mind, written by Nikki Grimes (Dial)

• Lillie Patterson, author of Benjamin Banneker (Abingdon)

• Jeanne W. Peterson, author of I Have a Sister, My Sister is Deaf (Harper)

• Virginia Hamilton, author of Justice and Her Brothers (Greenwillow)

• Carol Fenner, author of Skates of Uncle Richard (Random)

1978

Author Award Winner

• Eloise Greenfield, author of Africa Dream, illustrated by Carole Byard (Crowell)

Illustrator Award Winner

Author Honor

• William J. Faulkner, author of The Days When the Animals Talked: Black Folk Tales and How They Came to Be (Follett)

• Frankcina Glass, author of Marvin and Tige (St. Martin’s)

• Eloise Greenfield, author of Mary McCleod Bethune (Crowell)

• James Haskins, author of Barbara Jordan (Dial)

• Lillie Patterson, author of Coretta Scott King (Garrard)

• Ruth Ann Stewart, author of Portia: The Life of Portia Washington Pittman, the Daughter of Booker T. Washington (Doubleday)

1977

Author Award Winner

•  James Haskins, author of The Story of Stevie Wonder (Lothrop)

Author Honor 

• Lucille Clifton, author of Everett Anderson's Friend (Holt)

• Mildred D. Taylor, author of Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry (Dial)

• Clarance N. Blake and Donald F. Martin, authors of Quick Book on Black America (Houghton)

1976

Author Award Winner

• Pearl Bailey, author of Duey’s Tale (Harcourt)

Author Honor 

• Shirley Graham, author of Julius K. Nyerere: Teacher of Africa (Messner)

• Eloise Greenfield, author of Paul Robeson (Crowell)

• Walter Dean Myers, author of Fast Sam, Cool Clyde and Stuff (Viking)

• Mildred D. Taylor, author of Song of the Trees (Dial)

1975

Author Award Winner

• Dorothy Robinson, author of The Legend of Africana (Johnson Publishing)

1974

Author Award Winner

• Sharon Bell Mathis, author of Ray Charles, illustrated by George Ford (Crowell)

• George Ford, illustrator of Ray Charles, written by Sharon Bell Mathis (Crowell)

• Alice Childress, author of A Hero Ain't Nothin' but a Sandwich (Coward-McCann)

• Lucille Clifton, author of Do You Remember? (Dutton)

• Louise Crane, author of Ms. Africa: Profiles of Modern African Women (Lippincott)

• Kristin Hunter, author of Guest in the Promised Land (Scribner)

• John Nagenda, author of Mukasa (MacMillan)

1973

Author Award Winner

• Jackie Robinson and Alfred Duckett, authors of I Never Had it Made: The Autobiography of Jackie Robinson (Putnam)

 

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1972

Author Award Winner

• Elton C. Fax, author of 17 Black Artists (Dodd)

 

1971

Author Award Winner

• Charlemae Rollins, author of Black Troubador: Langston Hughes (Rand McNally)

• Maya Angelou, author of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (Random)

• Shirley Chisholm, author of Unbought and Unbossed (Houghton)

• Mari Evans, author of I Am a Black Woman (Morrow)

• Lorenz Graham, author of Every Man Heart Lay Down (Crowell)

• June Jordan and Terri Bush, authors of The Voice of the Children (Holt)

• Gladys Groom and Bonnie Grossman, authors of Black Means (Hill & Wang)

• Margaret W. Peters, author of Ebony Book of Black Achievement (Johnson Publishing)

• Janice May Udry, author of Mary Jo's Grandmother (Whitman)