Author Award Winner
 

Miracle's Boys
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by Jacqueline Woodson

ISBN: 0399231137
Format: Hardcover, 192pp
Pub. Date: March 2000
Publisher: Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated

Set in contemporary Harlem, Miracle's Boys tells the story of three brothers coping with the death of their parents. In this compelling family drama, Ty'ree, the oldest brother, accepts responsibility for keeping the family together. Charlie, the middle brother, who has just been released from a juvenile correctional facility, comes home angry. Lafayette, the youngest, fears he will be separated from his siblings. It is through Lafayette's eyes that Woodson skillfully draws the reader into the brothers' resolve to survive emotional pain and loss.

"Woodson's poetic and sensitive narrative portrays complex characters who display unconditional love for each other. The revealing, authentic dialogue deftly captures the essence of the characters' inner turmoil and, layer by layer, uncovers their strength and determination to survive," says Pauletta Brown Bracy, chair of the King Awards Jury.


Honor Books

Let It Shine! Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters
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by Andrea Davis Pinkney; illustrated by Stephen Alcorn

ISBN: 015201005X
Format: Hardcover, 120pp
Pub. Date: September 2000
Publisher: Harcourt
Edition Description: 1 ED

Let It Shine! tells the story of ten extraordinary women who fought for civil rights in the 19th and 20th centuries. From Sojourner Truth, Biddy Mason, and Harriet Tubman, who lived in slavery times, to Ida B. Wells Barnett, Mary McLeod Bethune, Ella Josephine Baker, and Dorothy Height, who campaigned for equal rights, to Rosa Parks and Fannie Lou Hamer, who were catalysts of the Civil Rights Movement, to Shirley Chisholm, who pioneered the political arena, these women all lived lives of vision and courage. Pinkney draws upon her own family legacy of political activism, and through a direct and lively voice inspires all readers.

"Pinkney's selection of ten strong women who took a bold stand for freedom and equality in the United States draws readers into a world of struggle, courage, and activism. Pinkney's lively and engaging portraits speak directly to us and weave a tapestry of bravery and strength," said Bracy.

Illustrator Award Winner

Uptown by Bryan Collier
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ISBN: 0805057218
Format: Hardcover, 32pp
Pub. Date: April 2000
Publisher: Henry Holt & Company, Incorporated
Edition Description: 1 ED

Uptown creates a wonderful sense of adventure through a visual tour of Harlem. With a confident young boy as a tour guide, Collier's vibrantly colored collage illustrations shares the pride of his neighborhood. The movement, smells, and sounds of jazz at the Apollo Theater, chicken and waffles, brownstones, and barbershops invites the reader to pay a visit to Uptown

"Bryan Collier's innovative collage illustrations combine photographs and paint to create architecture, urban landscape, and people in an original way. Through his positive and pride-filled look at a contemporary Harlem, Collier builds form using textual pieces of cut-paper collage, patterns, shapes, and even chocolate bars juxtaposed to one another in a vibrant array of color and character."

Honor Books

Freedom River
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ISBN: 0786803509
Format: Hardcover, 32pp
Pub. Date: August 2000
Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children
Edition Description: 1 ED

by Bryan Collier

Here is the true story of ex-slave John Parker's daring act, as he leads a slave family to freedom across the Ohio River. Collier's dramatic collages build up form through cut and torn papers and photographs combined with painting. Emotionally charged compositions dramatize the determination, boldness, and fear of the escape to freedom.

"Collier's unique collages paint with papers to powerfully highlight the emotions of each moment. Dark blues and brown portray night and interior scenes, while light illuminates feelings on realistically painted faces. The symbolic painting of the flowing river on faces and arms makes a striking visualization of the route to freedom."

Only Passing Through: The Story of Sojourner Truth
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by R. Gregory Christie; text by Anne Rockwell

ISBN: 044041766X
Format: Paperback, 40pp
Pub. Date: November 2002
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Edition Description: REPRINT

Christie's primitive illustrations and dramatic use of the color red poignantly capture the pain and rage of the slave girl, Isabella. His strong and bold brush strokes compellingly depict how and why the freed slave girl became known as Sojourner Truth.

"Christie's effective use of color and perspective in his paintings vividly portrays the hard, cruel realities of enslavement. Each emotionally charged painting moves the reader to feel the pain and passion of Sojourner Truth."

Virgie Goes to School with Us Boys
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illustrated by E.B. Lewis; text by Elizabeth Fitzgerald Howard

ISBN: 0689800762
Format: Hardcover, 32pp
Pub. Date: December 1999
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's

Despite protests from her family, Virgie convinces her family that she is able to walk the long and challenging seven miles to school with her five older brothers. Set during Reconstruction and inspired by the author's family history, Lewis's poignant watercolor illustrations beautifully evoke the rural setting as well as Virgie's persistence and determination to satisfy her hunger for knowledge.

"E.B. Lewis's luminous and expressive watercolor illustrations depict historical true-to-life characters, conveying their emotions with warmth, consistency, and dignity," said Bracy. "The contrast of pastel browns and greens with bolder colors blend masterfully from cover to cover throughout the story on many double-page spreads; they vividly capture and portray the period and evoke the vastness of both the land and the immensity of Virgie's undertaking."