AALBC Newsletter: Award Winning Literature for Children & More - 2/12/2020

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2020 Coretta Scott King Awards Announced

The Coretta Scott King Awards were announced January 27th at the American Library Association’s Midwinter Conference in Philadelphia. The award is presented annually 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.” There are five categories for this award; Author, Author Honor, Illustrator, Illustrator Honor, and the John Steptoe Award for New Talent. Learn which books were recently honored and discover all the others honored over the past half century.

2020 Newbery Medal Winning and Honored Books

The John Newbery Medal and Honor books were also announced at the Midwinter Conference. First presented in 1922, the Newbery Medal is awarded annually by the American Library Association for the most distinguished American children’s book published the previous year. Virginia Hamilton, in 1975, was the first African American writer to win the medal. As of 2020, five African American writers have won the medal and 22 have been honored. Approximately a third of these honors were bestowed in the last 5 years. This year African-American writers virtually swept the Newberys garnering 3 of 4 honors. We have identified all of the Newbery winning and honored books which were written by, or about, people of African descent.

Prominent Author Remembers AALBC!

“Troy Johnson @aalbc has been super supportive since my early days of self publishing. So it’s only fitting that I have them reveal the cover of Class Act the sequel to New Kid.” — Jerry Craft Craft wrote the most critically acclaimed graphic novel published in 2019, New Kid, which won the Coretta Scott King Award, the Kirkus Prize, the Newbery Medal, and more. It was also an AALBC and New York Times bestselling book. The important thing to note is that Jerry’s continued support of AALBC allows us to support other budding authors and illustrators. Craft gave AALBC the privilege of being the first entity to show the cover of Class Act to the world, and it has become an instant AALBC Bestseller — Thanks Jerry!

The 2020 African American Children’s Book Fair

Children's Book Authors Renee Watson and Tracey Baptiste

Held annually in Philadelphia, PA, The African American Children’s Book Fair is the nation’s premier event celebrating children’s literature and the authors and illustrators who create these books. The fair features nationally known, bestselling authors and illustrators, many of whom have won prestigious literary awards, producing the best books of our generation. There is no bookstore or library where all of these books can be seen in one place and no event where so many of the artists and writers who create these books can be seen. The fair was jammed packed by over 3,500 eager book buyers. My hat goes off Vanesse Lloyd-Sgambati founder of The African American Children’s Book Project and President of The Literary Media and Publishing Consultants. View our photos of the 28th annual fair.

Barbados-Born Poet Kamau Brathwaite Passes

Barbadian Kamau Brathwaite (May 11, 1930 – February 4, 2020) was considered one of the major voices in the Caribbean literary canon. Brathwaite is the 2006 International Winner of the Griffin Poetry Prize, for his volume of poetry Born to Slow Horses. He’s earned a Ph.D. from the University of Sussex in 1968 and was the co-founder of the Caribbean Artists Movement (CAM). He received both the Guggenheim and Fulbright Fellowships in 1983, and is a winner of the 1994 Neustadt International Prize for Literature, the Bussa Award, the Casa de las Américas Prize for poetry, the 1999 Charity Randall Citation for Performance and Written Poetry from the International Poetry Forum, and many others.

AALBC Book Reviews

Snapshot by Camryn King In Snapshot, Camryn King demonstrates the power of a page turning thriller. Through King’s beautifully descriptive screens, narrative pace, believable dialog, and narrator’s voice, the reader becomes engrossed in a story that reads like actual events. Kennedy Wades, a freelance photographer, is on assignment in the Bahamas, but the plush gig soon twists into a police situation that leaves her emotionally and physically hurt. Read the rest of Tony Lindsay’s Review ►

Dear Reader, This month we focus our attention on books written for younger readers. Look out for our list of the “Top 100 African-American Children’s Books.” This list is a follow up with our very popular, “Top 150 Recommended African-American Children’s Books.” We listened to your feedback and are making a couple of major improvements: ▪ Books will be organized into four categories, picture books, early readers, middle grade, and young adult. ▪ The list will be restricted to books published within the last two or three years. ▪ We will make it easy to purchase all the books, or books in each category, and offer discounts and free shipping Remember, indie bookstores thrive with your patronage and support. When you find something of value on AALBC please be sure to share the information with others. If you discover a book in this newsletter or on our site, that piques your interest, purchase it from us or your local indie bookseller. Finally, please consider supporting this newsletter by volunteering to pay for your subscription. If you have already paid for an annual subscription, thank you on behalf of AALBC and the writers whose work you are helping to celebrate. Peace and Love, Troy Johnson Founder & Webmaster, AALBC.com

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