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.

coretta_scott_king 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 1993

Author Award
The Dark-Thirty: Southern Tales of the Supernatural

The Dark-Thirty: Southern Tales of the Supernatural

by Patricia C. Mckissack

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Yearling (Mar 29, 2022)
Middle Grade, Fiction, Paperback, 176 pages
ISBN: 9780593123478Publisher: Penguin Random House
Book Description:

In that special half-hour of twilight the dark-thirty there are stories to be told. Mesmerizing, suspenseful, and breathtakingly original, these tales make up a heart-stopping collection of lasting value, a book not quickly forgotten.

Originally published in 1992.

Author Honor
Mississippi Challenge

Mississippi Challenge

by Mildred Pitts Walter

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Simon Pulse (Jan 01, 1996)
Middle Grade, Fiction, Hardcover, 256 pages
ISBN: 9780689803079Publisher: Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Book Description:

Incorporating the reminiscences and thoughts of many of the participants, this study of the history of African Americans in Mississippi chronicles the struggle for civil rights, from the time of slvaery through the events of the civil rights movement of the 1960s. Reprint. SLJ. AB.
Author Honor
Sojourner Truth: Ain’t I a Woman?

Sojourner Truth: Ain’t I a Woman?

by Patricia C. Mckissack

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Scholastic Paperbacks (Jan 01, 1994)
Middle Grade, Nonfiction, Paperback, 192 pages
ISBN: 9780590446914Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Book Description:

This 1993 Coretta Scott King Honor Book chronicles the life of African-American Sojourner Truth, a nineteenth-century preacher, abolitionist, and activist for the rights of African Americans and women. Reprint. PW. SLJ. H.
Author Honor
Somewhere In The Darkness

Somewhere In The Darkness

by Walter Dean Myers

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Scholastic Paperbacks (May 01, 2008)
Middle Grade, Fiction, Mass Market Paperback, 192 pages
ISBN: 9780545055772Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Book Description:

An exciting, eye-catching repackage of acclaimed author Walter Dean Myers bestselling paperbacks, to coincide with the publication of SUNRISE OVER FALLUJA in hardcover.

Jimmy hasn t seen his father in nine years. But one day he comes back on the run from the law. Together, the two of them travel across the country where Jimmy s dad will find the man who can exonerate him of the crime for which he was convicted. Along the way, Jimmy discovers a lot about his father and himself and that while things can t always be fixed, sometimes they can be understood and forgiven.
Illustrator Award
The Origin of Life on Earth: An African Creation Myth

The Origin of Life on Earth: An African Creation Myth

by Sankofa and David A. Anderson, Illustrated by Kathleen Atkins Wilson

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Sights Production (Jan 01, 1991)
Picture Book, Nonfiction, Hardcover, 32 pages
ISBN: 9780962997853Publisher: Sights Production
Book Description:

This National Award Winning Book is beautifully illustrated with sixteen full-page color paintings by the prominent African-American artist Kathleen Atkins Wilson. It depicts Dr. David Anderson s colorful and historically rich retelling of an age-old African creation myth. the volume provides a rare and wonderful educational and cultural experience by preserving important mythology originating in the lands recognized as the cradle of civilization. Dr. Anderson furnishes a bridge to the past and a spiritual connection in which today s youth especially minorities can take pride and find self esteem. Selected in 1996 by the Elementary School Library Collection Winner of the 1993 Multicultural Publishers Exchange Book Award of Excellence Winner of the 1992 African Studies Association Outstanding Book Award 1993 Benjamin Franklin Silver Medal Finalist
Illustrator Honor
Little Eight John (Picture Puffins)

Little Eight John (Picture Puffins)

by Jan Wahl, Illustrated by Wil Clay

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Puffin Books (Feb 01, 1998)
Picture Book, Fiction, Paperback, 32 pages
ISBN: 9780140556308Publisher: Penguin Random House
Book Description:

Little Eight John s mother warns him that mischief like sitting backwards in his chair and kicking frogs means bad luck for the family. But what his mother warns him not to do, he does, and when he baby gets sick and the potatoes don t grow, Little Eight John just laughs. Then, one day, trouble come looking for him. Full color .
Illustrator Honor
Sukey and the Mermaid

Sukey and the Mermaid

by Robert D. San Souci, Illustrated by Brian Pinkney

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Aladdin (May 01, 1996)
Picture Book, Fiction, Paperback, 32 pages
ISBN: 9780689807183Publisher: Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Book Description:

Sukey s new step-pa is a mean, bossy man. Every day Sukey wakes at dawn to work in the garden. All her step-pa ever does is watch her and yell if she so much as stops to fan herself. Sukey s ma calls him Mister Jones. Sukey prefers the name "Mister Hard-Times."
Son one day, Sukey runs away to her secret place by the ocean. There, she calls up Mama Jo, a beautiful black mermaid. Mama Jo s got a surprise for Sukey; a magical kingdom beneath the sea without time or pain. But it s also without people. Is it really better than the world above?
Illustrator Honor
Working Cotton

Working Cotton

by Sherley Anne Williams, Illustrated by Carole Byard

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Picture Book, Fiction, Paperback, 32 pages
ISBN: 9780152014827Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Book Description:

This child s view of the long day s work in the cotton fields, simply expressed in a poet s resonant language, is a fresh and stirring look at migrant family life. With its restrained poetic text and impressionist paintings, this is a picture book for older readers, too. Booklist