| Below are the Coretta Scott King Award Winning Books for 2000. You find the author award and honor books, the illustrator and illustrator honor books, Click here for a list of all the Coretta Scott King Award Winners since the Award's inception in 1969 |
|
Coretta Scott King Author Awards - 2000 |
Bud,
Not Buddy, Christopher Paul Curtis
(click to buy book online now)
Format: Hardcover, 245pp.
ISBN: 0385323069
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Pub. Date: August 1999
Recommend Age Range: 9 to 12
Winner of the 2000 Newbery Medal, and the 2000 Coretta Scott King Award.
Grades 4-7
When 10-year-old Bud Caldwell runs away from his new foster home, he realizes he
has nowhere to go but to search for the father he has never known: a legendary
jazz musician advertised on some old posters his deceased mother had kept. A
friendly stranger picks him up on the road in the middle of the night and
deposits him in Grand Rapids, MI, with Herman E. Calloway and his jazz band, but
the man Bud was convinced was his father turns out to be old, cold, and
cantankerous. Luckily, the band members are more welcoming; they take him in,
put him to work, and begin to teach him to play an instrument. In a Victorian
ending, Bud uses the rocks he has treasured from his childhood to prove his
surprising relationship with Mr. Calloway. The lively humor contrasts with the
grim details of the Depression-era setting and the particular difficulties faced
by African Americans at that time. Bud is a plucky, engaging protagonist. Other
characters are exaggerations: the good ones (the librarian and Pullman car
porter who help him on his journey and the band members who embrace him) are
totally open and supportive, while the villainous foster family finds
particularly imaginative ways to torture their charge. However, readers will be
so caught up in the adventure that they won't mind. Curtis has given a fresh,
new look to a traditional orphan-finds-a-home story that would be a crackerjack
read-aloud.
-Kathleen Isaacs, Edmund Burke School, Washington, DC Copyright 1999 Cahners
Business Information.
Author Honor Books
Francie,
by Karen English (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
(click to buy book online now)
Format: Hardcover, 1st ed., 199pp.
ISBN: 0374324565
Publisher: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, Incorporated
Pub. Date: September 1999
Gr 5-8
The best student in her small, all-black school in preintegration Alabama,
12-year-old Francie hopes for a better life. While she and her strict mother
wait for her Pullman porter father to move them up North, they work very hard
just to survive. Cleaning, cooking, and waiting tea for the white people in
town, Francie wonders just what it would be like to have nothing to do other
than enjoy the day, but each of her father's letters brings only promises and
disappointment.
When Jessie, an older school friend who
is without family, is forced on the run by a racist employer, Francie leaves her
mother's labeled canned food for him in the woods. Only when the sheriff begins
searching their woods, and her younger brother and cousin are abducted, does she
realize the depth of the danger she may have brought to her family. Francie's
smooth-flowing, well-paced narration is gently assisted by just the right touch
of the vernacular. Characterization is evenhanded and believable, while place
and time envelop readers. The message that one must rise out of oppression and
actively seek a better life is a good one. Excellent companion books might be
Carolyn Meyer's White Lilacs (Gulliver, 1993) and Patricia McKissack's Run Away
Home (Scholastic, 1997).
-Cindy Darling Codell, Clark Middle School, Winchester, KY Copyright 1999
Cahners Business Information.
Black
Hands, White Sails: The Story of African-American Whalers, by Patricia C.
and Frederick L. McKissack
(click to buy book online now)
Format:
Hardcover, 160pp.
ISBN: 0590483137
Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.
Pub. Date: September 1999
Recommend Age Range: 12 and up
Grades 6-9-
A well-researched and detailed book chronicling the contributions of African
Americans to the whaling industry. Many were drawn to jobs on whaling ships
throughout the 1600-1800s, for while conditions were difficult, they were
preferable to slavery. The authors go to great lengths to draw out the roles of
African Americans, and while many of these connections are eye-opening, they are
sometimes tenuous. The first half of the book, an introduction to the whales and
the business surrounding their hunting, features significant men such as Prince
Boston and Paul Cuffe, but also some who were less directly involved. Frederick
Douglass did briefly work as a ship's caulker but many pages are devoted to
describing aspects of his life that are irrelevant to whaling. Midway, the
emphasis shifts to interesting aspects of life aboard ship, explaining phrases
we use today that derive from whalers, superstitions of the seas, sailing songs
and shanties, the story of the famous Essex, and the role of whalers in the
Revolutionary and Civil Wars. While the story becomes much more engaging at this
point, the role of African Americans seems to have diminished importance as race
is only occasionally mentioned. Overall, though, as an important and
under-explored aspect of both African-American and nautical history, this book
merits a place on the shelves in larger libraries and in African-American
collections. However, for a more fascinating look at whaling, and one that
integrates the African-American story along with the many other participants,
look to Jim Murphy's Gone A-Whaling (Clarion, 1998).
-Andrew Medlar, Chicago Public Library, IL Copyright 1999 Cahners Business
Information.
Monster,
by Walter Dean Myers
(click to buy book online now)
Format: Hardcover, 1st ed., 288pp.
ISBN: 0060280778
Publisher: HarperCollins Children's Books
Pub. Date: March 1999
Grades 7-12
Walter Dean Myers' novel (HarperCollins, 1999) is brought to life by a full cast
of actors in this excellent audio interpretation. The author opens this
audiobook by discussing many of his interviews with young prison inmates and his
desire to discover what drives them to a life of crime, what makes them become
monsters in society. From the outset, listeners are caught up in Steve Harmon's
life as he documents the events for the film script he is writing for his high
school video club. Was Steve actually the lookout in a robbery gone awry in
which a man was murdered, or was he simply at the wrong place at the wrong time?
The suspense and tension remain high until the end when we are told whether the
jury will find Steve guilty or innocent of the crime for which he is on trial.
This auditory delight is presented in the clear, well-enunciated and articulated
voices of a full cast of actors. The narrator, with his deep melodious voice,
reads Steve's film directions and provides the quick scene shifts, guiding
listeners through the story. His voice combined with the voices of the other
actors, the strong plot, and the unusual story format grabs readers and holds
their interest throughout. This interpretation could entice reluctant readers to
become Myers' fans. Monster is a must purchase for all middle and high school
libraries. English teachers should be encouraged to use this audiobook as a
possible writing prompt or as an introduction to readers' theater.
-Lynda N. Short, Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, Lexington, KY Copyright 2000
Cahners Business Information.|
|
Coretta Scott King 2000 Illustrator Award Winners |
In
the Time of the Drums, Illustrated by Brian Pinkney, text by Kim L.
Siegelson
(click to buy book online now)
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 078680436X
Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children
Pub. Date: February 1999
Recommend Age Range: 6 to 9
Grades
2-5-A Gullah story brought into beautiful focus by Pinkney's trademark
scratchboard-on-oil drawings. Mentu and his grandmother, Twi, are plantation
slaves who live on an island off the coast of Georgia. Twi knows some "powerful
root magic" and still yearns for her African home. She remembers the stories and
the rhythms of the drums, and shares them with Mentu. One day, a ship bearing
new slaves arrives in Teakettle Creek, and the island people beat ``ancient
rhythms" on their drums announcing the ship's arrival. At first the Ibos think
they are back in Africa; when they realize they are not, they refuse to leave
the ship. Suddenly, Twi hangs her charm bag on Mentu's neck and begins to run
toward the water. Magically, the years slip off her as she beckons to the
newcomers. Together, they break away from the slave catchers and disappear under
the water. Mentu believes that they are walking home to freedom. This well-told
story is unusual and powerful. It raises some interesting questions about the
meaning and value of freedom, and of literal interpretation of text. The rhythms
hint at Gullah language, but the narrative is clear, accessible, and at the same
time poetic. Pinkney's illustrations enhance the power of the tale by being at
once realistic and mystical. This thought-provoking story would be a splendid
addition to any collection.
-Linda Greengrass, Bank Street College Library, New York City Copyright 1999
Cahners Business Information.
Illustrator Honor Books
My
Rows and Piles of Coins,
Illustrated. by E. B. Lewis; text by Tololwa M. Mollel
(click to buy book online now)
Format: Hardcover, 32pp.
ISBN: 0395751861
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company
Pub. Date: August 1999
Recommend Age Range: 5 to 8
Pre-School to Grade 3
A warm family story set in Tanzania in the 1960s. Saruni is a picture of
determination as he learns to ride his father's big bicycle and saves his small
earnings to buy one of his own in order to help his mother deliver her goods to
market. After months of work, he takes his coins to the bicycle seller, who adds
them up and responds with humiliating laughter. However, Saruni is rewarded when
his father buys a motorbike and "sells" his old bicycle to his son. In the end,
Saruni's parents refuse his payment, preferring to give him the bike as a reward
for his help. At story's end, he is again saving his coins-this time to buy a
cart to pull behind his bicycle and further lighten his mother's load. The
first-person story contains several universal childhood experiences: the pride
in persevering and gaining a new skill and in making an unselfish contribution
to the family. Since the narrative focus is on the boy's own goals, the story is
natural and never excessively moralistic. The fluid, light-splashed watercolor
illustrations lend a sense of place and authenticity. Watching Saruni's savings
mount visually is a nice touch. A short glossary gives the meaning and
pronunciation of frequently used words. Deft and effective.
-Kate McClelland, Perrot Memorial Library, Greenwich, CT Copyright 1999 Cahners
Business Information.
Black
Cat,
Black
Cat,
(click to buy book online now)
Format: Hardcover, 1st ed., 40pp.
ISBN: 0590033751
Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.
Pub. Date: March 1999
Recommend Age Range: 7 to 10
Grades 2-5
Dramatic, evocative perspectives capture the sense of the inner city and the
enigmatic existence of a street-smart, no-nonsense cat roaming there. Rhythmic
poetry poses questions about the golden-eyed animal with lines like: "black cat,
black cat, we want to know/where's your home, where do you go?" As readers
follow the creature across car hoods, wire fence rims, and into subway cars, the
starkness and harshness of the city are provocatively drawn. The bold collage
art that incorporates photographs, ink, and gouache contrasts the sinuous
movements of the cat against the angular urban cityscape of roof tops, ball
courts, and fire escapes. Myers's style carries a familiarity from Harlem
(Scholastic, 1997) but here the illustrations are full page, with no white
space, and the white-and-colored text on black backgrounds adds to the somewhat
ominous tone, effectively conveying a secretive, haunting mood shaped by
lingering images. This creative work pulses with city rhythms and scenarios,
just waiting to be discovered and discussed.
-Julie Cummins, New York Public Library
Related Links
American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/srrt/csking/index.html
The Coretta Scott King Award is presented annually by the
Coretta Scott King Task Force of the American Library Association's Social
Responsibilities Round Table. Recipients are authors and illustrators of African
descent whose distinguished books promote an understanding and appreciation of
the "American Dream. "
Check out all the Coretta Scott King Award Winners since the Award's inception in 1969
AALBC Children's
Book Section
http://aalbc.com/children.htm
The children's
Literature Web Guide - Newberry, Caldecott and other ALA Awards - 1999 Winners
http://www.acs.ucalgary.ca/~dkbrown/ala99.html
