Coretta Scott King Book Award Winners 1970 to Present
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The CSK Book Awards seal and award names are owned by the American Library Association.
The Coretta Scott King Awards are presented annually by the American Library Association to honor African-American authors and illustrators who create outstanding books for children and young adults. “… an excellent start on your quest for the best in African-American literature for children.”
The award was established in 1969 to recognize authors. In 1979 it was expanded to include a separate award for illustrators. There are now five categories for book awards; Author, Author Honor, Illustrator, Illustrator Honor, and the John Steptoe Award for New Talent.
These awards are given to commemorate the life and work of the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and to honor Mrs. Coretta Scott King for her continuing efforts in working for peace and civil rights issues. In 2015 The Coretta Scott King Awards became part of the Youth Media Awards. Here is a printable list of all the award winning books.
You may learn more about this award at the American Library Association’s website. Also check out our list of Top 100+ Recommended African-American Children’s Books, some are also CSK Award winning titles.
7 Coretta Scott King Award Winning and Honored Books for 1984
Everett Anderson’s Goodbye
Everett Anderson s Goodbye is a touching portrait of a little boy who is trying to come to grips with his father s death. Lucille Clifton captures Everett s conflicting emotions as he confronts this painful reality. We see him struggle through many stages, from denial and anger to depression and, finally, acceptance. In this spare and moving poem, the last in this acclaimed series, Lucille Clifton brings Everett Anderson s life full circle.Everett Anderson s Goodbye is the winner of the 1984 Coretta Scott King Author Award.A Reading Rainbow SelectionAn NCTE Teachers Choice
Because We Are
After a misunderstanding with a white teacher, black honor student Emma is transferred from the integrated high school where she has excelled to a segregated school where she finds a different kind of challenge.
Bright Shadow
Abyssinia Jackson must learn to cope with tragedy when peace is shattered in her Oklahoma countryside and her boyfriend Carl Lee disappears.
Lena: A Personal and Professional Biography of Lena Horne
A biography of Lena Horne, she emerges a stalwart forever standing her ground. Thorough. Authorative.. Ebony
The Magical Adventures of Pretty Pearl
One long time ago, Pretty Pearl god child lived high on a mountaintop in Africa with all other gods. Curious about mankind and itching to show off her powers, she came down off the mountain with her brother, know-all best god John de Conquer, and sailed on a slave ship for America. There she saw the suffering of the black people, and felt their sorrow right behind her eyes . Pretty Pearl knew now was her time to act.Brother John gave her a magical necklace, a set of rules to follow, and a warning to be careful. "Them human bein s be awful tricky," he said."they has most winnin ways." Drawing upon her fabulous storehouse of black legend, myth, and folklore, Virginia Hamilton has ventured into new ways of exploring the human spirit in this extrodinary fantasy filled with mysteries, beauty, and hope.
My Mama Needs Me
by Mildred Pitts Walter, Illustrated by Pat Cummings
Jason wants to help, but isn t sure that his mother needs him at all after she brings home a new baby from the hospital.
The Words of Martin Luther King
By the time he was assassinated in 1968 at the age of thirty-nine, Martin Luther King, Jr., had led millions of people in a nonviolent movement that shattered forever the Southern system of segregation of the races. His eloquent, passionate advocacy of civil and human rights, rooted in the techniques of peaceful demonstration pioneered by Mahatma Gandhi, brought a new dimension of dignity to people s lives and a new hope for freedom and the community of man.
Created as a living memorial to the philosophies and ideas of Martin Luther King, Jr., The Words of Martin Luther King, Jr., includes more than 120 quotations and excerpts from the great civil rights leader s speeches, sermons, and writings, along with sixteen historical photographs.
Selected and introduced by Coretta Scott King, this book helps keep the dream alive by focusing on seven areas of Martin Luther King, Jr. s concern: the community of man, racism, civil rights, justice and freedom, faith and religion, nonviolence, and peace. The message these words convey is as inspiring and fundamental to life today as it ever was during his lifetime.
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