Coretta Scott King Book Award Winners 1970 to Present

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 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 five categories of 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.

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7 Coretta Scott King Award Winning and Honored Books for 1980

Author Award

Book Description: 
If you were looking for a real ghetto dump, you couldn’t beat The Stratford Arms. There was Askia Ben Kenobi throwing karate chops upstairs, Petey Darden making booze downstairs, and Mrs. Brown grieving for Jack Johnson, who’d died for the third time in a month—and not a rent payer in the bunch. Still, when Paul Williams and the Action Group got the Arms for one dollar, they thought they had it made. But when their friend Chris was arrested for stealing stereos and Dean’s dog started biting fire hydrants and Gloria started kissing, being a landlord turned out to be a lot more work than being a kid.

Author Honor

Book Description: 
An account of the life of Andrew Young, including his activities as a clergyman, civil rights worker, legislator, and United States Ambassador to the United Nations.

Author Honor

Book Description: 
Three generations of African-American women remember their "childtimes" in this lyrical memoir spanning a century of American history. This book preserves the lives and communities of times past for future generations. Complete with a family tree, Eloise Greenfield and Lessie Jones Little’s Childtimes beautifully captures the experiences of grandmother, mother, and daughter as they recall moments from their childhood.Supports the Common Core State Standards

Author Honor

Book Description: 
A biography of the black photographer who has received acclaim for his prints of Harlem.

Author Honor

Book Description: 
Hailed upon publication by writers and critics alike, including Shirley Hazzard and Charles Johnson, Let the Lion Eat Straw is a dazzling novel that tells the story of Abeba Williams, whose mother abandons the poverty of the South and in the process her daughter for opportunities up North. Missing her mother, she clings to Mamma Habblesham, a woman with enviable reserves of love and hope. Their affection for each other seems boundless until Abeba’s mother returns to take her to Brooklyn. As Abeba grows up, her exceptional musical talent promises to be an avenue of escape. But a handsome singer distracts her, and opportunities that once seemed so close begin to fall away. Now married with children of her own, she fights to maintain the dignity of her family. Let the Lion Eat Straw is a revelation of the glory in apparently ordinary lives.

Author Honor

Book Description: 
The autobiography of Berry Gordy, Sr., son of a slave and father of the founder of Motown Records.

Illustrator Award

Book Description: 
Every design has a name and means something in the powerful past and present richness of the Black tradition.

Mama’s and Great-Grammaw’s gentle fingers weave the design, and their lulling voices weave the tale, as they braid their children’s hair into the striking cornrow patterns of Africa.