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.
8 Coretta Scott King Award Winning and Honored Books for 1995
Christmas In The Big House: Christmas In The Quarters
by Patricia C. McKissack and Fredrick McKissack
Rich in historical detail and filled with luminous illustrations, this poignant book movingly describes the holiday celebrations of both slaves and slave owners on a pre-Civil War plantation.
The year is 1859, and it s Christmastime on a Virginia Plantation. The slaves are cleaning and setting up the Big House where their masters live for the festivities. The Big House is filled with warmth, colorful decorations, and yummy food but there is talk of war and a sense that times may be changing. In the quarters where the slaves live conditions are poor, dirty, and cold, but the slaves are filled with hope for better times ahead, and they sing songs of freedom.
Moving deftly between two worlds, this beautifully illustrated book is a historical tale as well as a holiday treat.
Black Diamond: The Story of the Negro Baseball Leagues (Polaris)
A stirring tribute to the human drama, legendary heroes, infamous owners, low pay, and long bus rides that were the Negro Leagues. A 1995 Coretta Scott King Honor Book now in a striking Polaris edition.
I Hadn’t Meant to Tell You This
Twelve-year-old Marie is a leader among the popular black girls in Chauncey, Ohio, a prosperous black suburb. She isn t looking for a friend when Lena Bright, a white girl, appears in school. Yet they are drawn to each other because both have lost their mothers. And they know how to keep a secret. For Lena has a secret that is terrifying, and she s desperate to protect herself and her younger sister from their father. Marie must decide whether she can help Lena by keeping her secret or by telling it.
The Captive (Apple Paperbacks)
by Joyce Hansen
Celebrating a special event for his people, Kofi, the prince of a West African village, is horrified when he is betrayed, kidnapped, and sold into slavery in Massachusetts, in a story based on an actual slave narrative. Reprint. PW. K. H.
The Creation
by James Weldon Johnson, Illustrated by James Ransome
A poem based on the story of creation from the first book of the Bible.
Meet Danitra Brown
by Nikki Grimes, Illustrated by Floyd Cooper
This spirited collection of poems introduces young readers to Danitra Brown, the most splendiferous girl in town, and her best friend, Zuri Jackson. "The poignant text and lovely pictures are an excellent collaboration, resulting in a look at touching moments of universal appeal."
The Singing Man: Adapted from a West African Folktale
by Angela S. Medearis, Illustrated by Terea Shaffer
A couple s youngest son is forced to leave his West African village because he chooses music over the more practical occupations of his brothers, but years later he returns to show the wisdom of his choice.
Tears Of A Tiger (Hazelwood High Trilogy)
Andy tackles his guilt and grief in the first book of Sharon M. Draper s award-winning Hazelwood High trilogy, now in trade paperback with a new cover.
Tigers don t cry or do they? After the death of his longtime friend and fellow Hazelwood Tiger in a car accident, Andy, the driver, blames himself and cannot get past his guilt and pain. While his other friends have managed to work through their grief and move on, Andy allows death to become the focus of his life. In the months that follow the accident, the lives of Andy and his friends are traced through a series of letters, articles, homework assignments, and dialogues, and it becomes clear that Tigers do indeed need to cry.
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