Carter G. Woodson Award Winning Books


As of 2001 awards and honors are given in the following categories, Elementary (K-6), Middle (5-8), and Secondary (7-12) grade level books.

Carter Woodson Award Seal Carter G. Woodson Seal

The National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) established the Carter G. Woodson Book Awards for the most distinguished books appropriate for young readers that depict ethnicity in the United States. First presented in 1974, this award is intended to “encourage the writing, publishing, and dissemination of outstanding social studies books for young readers that treat topics related to ethnic minorities and race relations sensitively and accurately.” Books relating to ethnic minorities and the authors of such books rarely receive the recognition they merit from professional organizations. By sponsoring the Carter G. Woodson Awards, NCSS gives wide recognition to and encourages these authors and publishers. Here is a printable list of all the award winning books. Learn more at NCSS’s website.

Also check out our list of Top 100+ Recommended African-American Children’s Books, some are also CSK Award winning titles.


6 Award Winning and Honored Books for 1992


Secondary Level Winner

Native American Doctor: The Story of Susan Laflesche Picotte (Trailblazer Biographies)
by Jeri Ferris

    List Price: $31.93
    Carolrhoda Books (Jul 01, 1991)
    Nonfiction, Hardcover, 112 pages
    Target Age Group: Middle Grade
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    Book Description: 
    A biography of the young Omaha Indian woman who became the first Native American woman to graduate from medical school.

    Outstanding Merit

    Outward Dreams: Black Inventors and Their Inventions
    by James Haskins

    Walker and Company (Apr 01, 1991)
    Nonfiction, Hardcover, 101 pages
    Target Age Group: Middle Grade
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    Book Description: 
    Discusses black inventors and their contributions, including Benjamin Bradley, Madam Walker, and George Washington Carver.

    Outstanding Merit

    Pueblo Storyteller
    by Diane Hoyt-Goldsmith

      List Price: $17.95
      Holiday House (Mar 01, 1991)
      Nonfiction, Hardcover, 26 pages
      Target Age Group: Picture Book
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      Book Description: 
      A young Cochiti Indian girl living with her grandparents in the Cochiti Pueblo near Santa Fe, New Mexico, describes her home and family and the day-to-day life and customs of her people.

      Outstanding Merit

      Now Is Your Time! The African-American Struggle for Freedom
      by Walter Dean Myers

      List Price: $14.99
      Amistad (Jan 01, 1991)
      Nonfiction, Paperback, 320 pages
      Target Age Group: Young Adult
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      Book Description: 
      History has made me an African American. It is an Africa that I have come from, and an America that I have helped to create.Since they were first brought as captives to Virginia, the people who would become African Americans have struggled for freedom. Thousands fought for the rights of all Americans during the Revolutionary War, and for their own rights during the Civil War. On the battlefield, through education, and through their creative genius, they have worked toward one goal: that the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness be denied no one.Fired by the legacy of men and women like Abd al Rahman Ibrahima, Ida B. Wells, and George Latimer, the struggle continues today. Here is African-American history, told through the stories of the people whose experiences have shaped and continue to shape the America in which we live.

      Outstanding Merit

      Carter G. Woodson: The Father of Black History (Great African Americans Series)
      by Patricia C. McKissack and Fredrick McKissack

        List Price: $14.95
        Enslow Publishing (Sep 01, 1991)
        Nonfiction, Hardcover, 32 pages
        Target Age Group: Picture Book
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        Book Description: 
        Simple text and illustrations describe the life and accomplishments of the man who first pioneered the study of black history.

        Elementary Award

        The Last Princess: The Story of Princess Ka’Iulani of Hawai’I
        by Fay Stanley

          List Price: $18.00
          Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (Apr 01, 1991)
          Fiction, Hardcover, 40 pages
          Target Age Group: Picture Book
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          Book Description: 
          The moving story of a young woman who showed great bravery in a time of heartbreaking change, The Last Princess is illustrated with exquisitely detailed paintings by Diane Stanley and includes a note on the Hawaiian language, a map, and a bibliography. Illustrations in full color.