Coretta Scott King Book Award Winners 1970 to Present

coretta_scott_kingThe 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.”

csk winner seal
The CSK Book Awards seal and award names are owned by the American Library Association.

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.

9 Coretta Scott King Award Winning and Honored Books for 1971


Click for a larger image of Black Troubadour

Black Troubadour
by Langston Hughes

Publication Date: Jan 01, 1971
List Price: $4.95
Format: Hardcover, 143 pages
Classification: Nonfiction
Target Age Group: Middle Grade
ISBN13: 9789997507501
Imprint: Rand Mcnally
Publisher: Rand Mcnally
Parent Company: Rand Mcnally

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Click for a larger image of Black Means …

Black Means …
by Barney Grossman

Publication Date: Jun 01, 1970
List Price: $5.95
Format: Hardcover, 63 pages
Classification: Nonfiction
Target Age Group: Early Reader
ISBN13: 9780809030378
Imprint: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Publisher: Macmillan Publishers
Parent Company: Holtzbrinck Publishing Group

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Click for a larger image of Every Man Heart Lay Down

Every Man Heart Lay Down
by Lorenz Graham

Publication Date: Sep 01, 1993
List Price: $19.95
Format: Hardcover, 48 pages
Classification: Fiction
Target Age Group: Picture Book
ISBN13: 9781563971846
Imprint: Front Street, Incorporated
Publisher: Boyds Mills Press
Parent Company: Boyds Mills Press

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Click for a larger image of I Am a Black Woman

I Am a Black Woman
by Mari Evans

Paperback Unavailable for Sale from AALBC
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Publication Date: Dec 01, 1993
List Price: Unavailable
Format: Paperback, 160 pages
Classification: Poetry
Target Age Group: Young Adult
ISBN13: 9780863163142
Imprint: Writers and Readers Publishing
Publisher: Writers & Readers Publishing
Parent Company: For Beginners LLC

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Click for a larger image of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
by Maya Angelou

Publication Date: Mar 05, 2002
List Price: $25.00
Format: Hardcover, 304 pages
Classification: Nonfiction
ISBN13: 9780375507892
Imprint: Random House
Publisher: Penguin Random House
Parent Company: Bertelsmann

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Click for a larger image of Mary Jo’s Grandmother

Mary Jo’s Grandmother
by Janice May Udry

Publication Date: Jun 01, 1970
List Price: $8.75
Format: Library Binding, 32 pages
Classification: Fiction
Target Age Group: Picture Book
ISBN13: 9780807549841
Imprint: Albert Whitman & Company
Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company
Parent Company: Albert Whitman & Company

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Click for a larger image of The Ebony Book of Black Achievement

The Ebony Book of Black Achievement
by Margaret Peters

Hardcover Unavailable for Sale from AALBC
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Publication Date: Feb 01, 1974
List Price: Unavailable
Format: Hardcover, 124 pages
Classification: Nonfiction
Target Age Group: Middle Grade
ISBN13: 9780874850406
Imprint: Johnson Publishing Company, Inc.
Publisher: Johnson Publishing Company, Inc.
Parent Company: Johnson Publishing Company, Inc.

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Click for a larger image of The Voice of the Children

The Voice of the Children
by June Jordan

Library Binding Unavailable for Sale from AALBC
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Publication Date: Jun 01, 1970
List Price: Unavailable
Format: Library Binding, 101 pages
Classification: Poetry
Target Age Group: Middle Grade
ISBN13: 9780030851742
Imprint: Holt Rinehart & Winston
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Parent Company: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

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Click for a larger image of Unbought and Unbossed: Expanded 40th Anniversary Edition

Unbought and Unbossed: Expanded 40th Anniversary Edition
by Shirley Chisholm

Paperback Unavailable for Sale from AALBC
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Publication Date: Jan 20, 2010
List Price: Unavailable
Format: Paperback, 200 pages
Classification: Nonfiction
ISBN13: 9780980059021
Imprint: Take Root Media
Publisher: Take Root Media
Parent Company: Take Root Media

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