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 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.
10 Coretta Scott King Award Winning and Honored Books for 2019
Author Award
A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919
by Claire Hartfield
List Price: $18.99Clarion Books (Jan 02, 2018)
Nonfiction, Hardcover, 208 pages
Target Age Group: Middle Grade
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Author Honor
Finding Langston
by Lesa Cline-Ransome
List Price: $16.99Holiday House (Aug 14, 2018)
Fiction, Hardcover, 112 pages
Target Age Group: Middle Grade
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Author Honor
The Parker Inheritance
by Varian Johnson
List Price: $17.99Arthur A. Levine Books (Mar 27, 2018)
Fiction, Hardcover, 352 pages
Target Age Group: Middle Grade
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Author Honor
The Season of Styx Malone
by Kekla Magoon
- A Top 150 Children’s Book
- 2 Time AALBC.com Bestselling Book!
- Coretta Scott King Award Winning Book 2019
Wendy Lamb Books (Oct 16, 2018)
Fiction, Hardcover, 304 pages
Target Age Group: Middle Grade
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Illustrator Award
The Stuff of Stars
by Marion Dane Bauer, Illustrated by Ekua Holmes
List Price: $17.99Candlewick Press (Sep 04, 2018)
Fiction, Hardcover, 40 pages
Target Age Group: Picture Book
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Illustrator Honor
Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race
by Margot Lee Shetterly, Illustrated by Laura Freeman
11-time National Bestseller, Juvenile Nonfiction
- A 2024 National Bestselling Book – Juvenile Nonfiction
- A 2023 National Bestselling Book - Juvenile Nonfiction
- A Top 150 Children’s Book
- 8 Time AALBC.com Bestselling Book!
- Coretta Scott King Award Winning Book 2019
- An NAACP Image Award Honored Book
HarperCollins (Jan 23, 2018)
Nonfiction, Hardcover, 40 pages
Target Age Group: Picture Book
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Illustrator Honor
Let the Children March
by Monica Clark-Robinson, Illustrated by Frank Morrison
1-time National Bestseller, Juvenile Fiction
- A Top 150 Children’s Book
- 1 Time AALBC.com Bestselling Book!
- Coretta Scott King Award Winning Book 2019
HMH Books for Young Readers (Jan 02, 2018)
Fiction, Hardcover, 40 pages
Target Age Group: Picture Book
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Illustrator Honor
Memphis, Martin, and the Mountaintop: The Sanitation Strike of 1968
by Alice Faye Duncan
List Price: $17.95Calkins Creek (Aug 28, 2018)
Fiction, Hardcover, 40 pages
Target Age Group: Picture Book
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John Steptoe Author Award for New Talent
Monday’s Not Coming
by Tiffany D. Jackson
List Price: $17.99Katherine Tegen Books (May 22, 2018)
Fiction, Hardcover, 448 pages
Target Age Group: Young Adult
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John Steptoe Illustrator Award for New Talent
Thank You, Omu!
by Oge Mora, Illustrated by Oge Mora
- Coretta Scott King Award Winning Book 2019
- Caldecott Medal Winner or Honor
- Ezra Jack Keats Award Winning, or Honored, Book
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (Oct 02, 2018)
Fiction, Hardcover, 40 pages
Target Age Group: Picture Book
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