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.
6 Coretta Scott King Award Winning and Honored Books for 1982
Let the Circle Be Unbroken
"This dramatic sequel to Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry is a powerful novel capable of touching readers of any age." The Christian Science Monitor
Lou in the Limelight
Lou and the Soul Brothers leave home hoping for quick success in show business, but encounter, and fall into, most of the traps that await inexperienced performers.
Mary: An Autobiography (Chapel Hill Books)
Born in rural North Carolina in 1933, into the last generation before the lines of segregation were broken, the young Mary Mebane felt herself trapped in a "world without options." But even in the face of poverty, racism, and the chilling certainty that her mother s affection would never be won, she vowed to escape.In this powerful autobiography, first published in 1981, Mebane recalls the joys and chores of her country childhood, the pain of her alienation from her family and community, and her dawning awareness that in her gifts for language and learning lay her key to freedom. With her graduation from college comes a triumph that is both hard-won and bittersweet.
Rainbow Jordan
Here is Rainbow Jordan: too brave to be a child, too scared to be a woman. "Powerful, eloquent, revealing the memory of this exceptional heroine is likely to linger a long time."
Mother Crocodile
by Rosa Guy, Illustrated by John Steptoe
Because Mother Crocodile tells stories of the past, the little crocodiles choose to believe she is crazy until almost too late they learn otherwise.
Rosa Guy s evocative translation of, Birago Diop s Maman-Caiman (Mother Crocodile), story of disobedient young crocodiles can be read as a cautionary tale or as a symbolic retelling of the history of Africa. This Senegalese folktale is the winner of the Coretta Scott King Award, and is an ALA Notable Book. "Visually this book is stunning." New York Times Book Review. Full color.
Daydreamers
by Eloise Greenfield, Illustrated by Tom Feelings
Poetry and portraits of young black children reveal all the beauty in children s wishes, yearnings, and memories. "Greenfield and Feelings have unquestionably worked together in harmony to create their sensitive portrayals of black boys and girls. Publishers Weekly.
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