| The Coretta Scott King Awards are presented annually by the Social Responsibilities Round Table of the American Library Association to an African American author and an African American illustrator for an outstandingly inspirational and educational contribution published during the previous year. The award was established in 1969 and designed to commemorate the life and work of the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and to honor Mrs. Coretta Scott King for her courage and determination in continuing to work for peace and world brotherhood. The separate award for illustrator was added in 1979. | ||||
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| 2009 Text - We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball written and illustrated by Kadir Nelson | ||||
| Using an "Everyman" player as his narrator, Kadir Nelson tells the story of Negro League baseball from its beginnings in the 1920s through the decline after Jackie Robinson crossed over to the majors in 1947. Illustrations from oil paintings by artist Kadir Nelson. | ||||
| 2009 Illustration - The Blacker the Berry illustrated by Floyd Cooper; written by Joyce Carol Thomas | ||||
| A collection of poems, including "Golden Goodness," "Cranberry Red," and "Biscuit Brown," celebrating individuality and Afro-American identity. | ||||
| 2008 Text - Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis | ||||
| In 1859, eleven-year-old Elijah Freeman, the first free-born child in Buxton, Canada, which is a haven for slaves fleeing the American south, uses his wits and skills to try to bring to justice the lying preacher who has stolen money that was to be used to buy a family's freedom. | ||||
| 2008 Illustration - Let it Shine illustrated by Ashley Bryan | ||||
| "This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine. Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine. With a kaleidoscope of color and cut paper, Hans Christian Anderson Award nominee and two-time Coretta Scott King Award winner Ashley Bryan celebrates three favorite spirituals: "This Little Light of Mine," "Oh, When the Saints Go Marching In," and "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands." The power of these beloved songs simply emanates through his joyous interpretations. Come, sing, and celebrate! | ||||
| 2007 Text - Copper Sun by Sharon Draper | ||||
| Two fifteen-year-old girls--one a slave and the other an indentured servant--escape their Carolina plantation and try to make their way to Fort Moses, Florida, a Spanish colony that gives sanctuary to slaves. | ||||
| 2007 Illustration - Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom illustrated by Kadir Nelson, written by Carole Boston Weatherford | ||||
| Describes Tubman's spiritual journey as she hears the voice of God guiding her north to freedom on that very first trip to escape the brutal practice of forced servitude. Tubman would make nineteen subsequent trips back south, never being caught, but none as profound as this first one. | ||||
| 2005 Text - Remember: The Journey to School Integration by Toni Morrison | ||||
| In her first historical work for young people, Morrison uses archival photographs to take the reader on a journey remembering "the narrow path, the open door and the wide road" to integration. | ||||
| 2005 Illustration - Ellington Was Not a Street by Ntozake Shange | ||||
| Illustrated by Kadir Nelson. His work evokes the feelings of a family album in rich, deep-toned oil paintings which provide a tribute to the legendary African American men whose contributions changed the culture of 20th century America. | ||||
| 2004 Text - The First Part Last by Angela Johnson | ||||
| Bobby's carefree teenage life changes forever when he becomes a father and must care for his adored baby daughter. | ||||
| 2004 Illustration - Beautiful Blackbird by Ashley Bryan | ||||
| In a story of the Ila people, the colorful birds of Africa ask Blackbird, whom they think is the most beautiful of birds, to decorate them with some of his "blackening brew." | ||||
| 2003 Text - Bronx Masquerade by Nikki Grimes | ||||
| When Wesley Boone writes a poem for his high school English class, some of his classmates clamor to read their poems aloud too. Soon they're having weekly poetry sessions and, one by one, the eighteen students are opening up and taking on the risky challenge of self-revelation. | ||||
| 2003 Illustration - Talkin' About Bessie illustrated by E.B. Lewis written by Nikki Grimes | ||||
| Elizabeth "Bessie" Coleman lived during an era when Jim Crow laws and segregation were a way of life, but she didn't let that stop her. Although she was only 11 when the Wright brothers took their historic flight, she vowed to become the first African-American female pilot. Her sturdy faith and determination helped her overcome obstacles of poverty, racism, and gender discrimination. | ||||
| 2002 Text - The Land by Mildred Taylor | ||||
| After the Civil War Paul, the son of a white father and a black mother, finds himself caught between the two worlds of colored folks and white folks as he pursues his dream of owning land of his own. | ||||
| 2002 Illustration - Goin’ Someplace Special illustrated by Jerry Pinkney, text by Patricia C. McKissack | ||||
| In segregated 1950s Nashville, a young
African American girl braves a series of indignities and obstacles to get
to one of the few integrated places in town: the public library. |
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| 2001 Text - Miracle’s Boys by Jacqueline Woodson | ||||
| Twelve-year-old Lafayette’s close relationship with his older brother Charlie changes after Charlie is released from a detention home and blames Lafayette for the death of their mother. | ||||
| 2001 Illustration - Uptown written and illustrated by Bryan Collier | ||||
| A tour of the sights of Harlem, including the Metro-North Train, brownstones, shopping on 125th Street, a barber shop, summer basketball, the Boy’s Choir, and sunset over the Harlem River. | ||||
| 2000 Text - Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis | ||||
| Ten-year-old Bud, a motherless boy living in Flint, Michigan, during the Great Depression, escapes a bad foster home and sets out in search of the man he believes to be his father--the renowned bandleader, H.E. Calloway of Grand Rapids. | ||||
| 2000 Illustration - In the Time of the Drums illustrated by Brian Pinkney, text by Kim L. Siegelson | ||||
| Based on the Gullah legend of a slave rebellion at Ibo’s Landing in the Sea Islands, this stirring picture book tells the story from the point of view of an African American child. | ||||
| 1999 Text - Heaven by Angela Johnson | ||||
| Fourteen-year-old Marley’s seemingly perfect life in the small town of Heaven is disrupted when she discovers that her father and mother are not her real parents. | ||||
| 1999 Illustration - i see the rhythm illustrated by Michele Wood, text by Toyomi Igus | ||||
| Chronicles and captures poetically the history, mood, and movement of African American music. | ||||
| 1998 Text - Forged by Fire by Sharon M. Draper | ||||
| Teenage Gerald, who has spent years protecting his fragile half-sister from their abusive father, faces the prospect of one final confrontation before the problem can be solved. | ||||
| 1998 Illustration - In Daddy’s Arms I Am Tall: African Americans Celebrating Fathers by Javaka Steptoe | ||||
| A collection of poems celebrating African-American fathers by Angela Johnson, E. Ethelbert Miller, Carole Boston Weatherford, and others. | ||||
| 1997 Text - Slam! by Walter Dean Myers | ||||
| Sixteen-year-old “Slam” Harris is counting on his noteworthy basketball talents to get him out of the inner city and give him a chance to succeed in life, but his coach sees things differently. | ||||
| 1997 Illustration - Minty: A Story of Young Harriet Tubman illustrated by Jerry Pinkney, written by Alan Schroeder | ||||
| Young Harriet Tubman, whose childhood name was Minty, dreams of escaping slavery on the Brodas plantation in the late 1820s. | ||||
| 1996 Text - Her Stories by Virginia Hamilton, illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon | ||||
| Folk and fairy tales featuring African American women. | ||||
| 1996 Illustration - The Middle Passage: White Ships Black Cargo by Tom Feelings, introduction by John Henrik Clarke | ||||
| Sixty-four paintings focus attention on the torturous journey which brought slaves from Africa to the Americas, allowing readers to bear witness to the sufferings of an entire people. | ||||
| 1995 Text - Christmas in the Big House, Christmas in the Quarters by Patricia and Frederick McKissack, illustrated by John Thompson | ||||
| Describes the customs, recipes, poems, and songs used to celebrate Christmas in the big plantation houses and in the slave quarters just before the Civil War. | ||||
| 1995 Illustration - The Creation illustrated by James Ransome, text by James Weldon Johnson | ||||
| A poem based on the story of creation from the first book of the Bible. | ||||
| 1994 Text - Toning the Sweep by Angela Johnson | ||||
| On a visit to her grandmother Ola, who is dying of cancer in her house in the desert, fourteen-year-old Emmie hears many stories about the past and her family history and comes to a better understanding of relatives both dead and living. | ||||
| 1994 Illustration - Soul Looks Back in Wonder by Tom Feelings | ||||
| Artwork and poems by such writers as Maya Angelou, Langston Hughes, and Askia Toure portray the creativity, strength, and beauty of their African American heritage. | ||||
| 1993 Text - The Dark-Thirty: Southern Tales of the Supernatural by Patrica McKissack, illustrated by Brian Pinkney | ||||
| A collection of ghost stories with African American themes, designed to be told during the Dark Thirty--the half hour before sunset--when ghosts seem all too believable. | ||||
| 1993 Illustration - The Origin of Life on Earth: An African Creation Myth illustrated by Kathleen Atkins Wilson, written by David A. Anderson | ||||
| Retells the Yoruba creation myth in which the deity Obatala descends from the sky to create the world. | ||||
| 1992 Text - Now Is Your Time! The Africian-Americian Struggle for Freedom by Walter Dean Myers | ||||
| A history of the African-American struggle for freedom and equality, beginning with the capture of Africans in 1619, continuing through the American Revolution, the Civil War, and into contemporary times. | ||||
| 1992 Illustration - Tar Beach by Faith Ringgold | ||||
| A young girl dreams of flying above her Harlem home, claiming all she sees for herself and her family. Based on the author’'s quilt painting of the same name. | ||||
| 1991 Text - The Road to Memphis by Mildred D. Taylor | ||||
| Sadistically teased by two white boys in 1940s rural Mississippi, a black youth severely injures one of the boys with a tire iron and enlists Cassie’s help in trying to flee the state. | ||||
1991 Illustration - Aida illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon, written by Leontyne Price |
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| Retells the story of Verdi’s opera in which the love of the enslaved Ethiopian princess for an Egyptian general brings tragedy to all involved. | ||||
| 1990 Text - A Long Hard Journey: The Story of the Pullman Porter by Patricia and Frederick McKissack | ||||
| A chronicle of the first black-controlled union, made up of Pullman porters, who after years of unfair labor practices staged a battle against a corporate giant resulting in a “David and Goliath” ending. | ||||
| 1990 Illustration - Nathaniel Talking illustrated by Jan Spivey Gilchrist, written by Eloise Greenfield | ||||
| Beautifully composed in a variety of styles--rap, blues, and free verse--these 18 poems offers a black child’s insights into his own heart and mind, and into the lives of family and friends. Nine-year-old Nathaniel reflects on what it’s like to be curious, smart, and full of ideas. | ||||
| 1989 Text - Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers | ||||
| Seventeen-year-old Richie Perry, just out of his Harlem high school, enlists in the Army in the summer of 1967 and spends a devastating year on active duty in Vietnam. | ||||
| 1989 Illustration - Mirandy and Brother Wind illustrated by Jerry Pinkney, written by Patricia McKissack | ||||
| To win first prize in the Junior Cakewalk, Mirandy tries to capture the wind for her partner. | ||||
| 1988 Text - The Friendship by Mildred D. Taylor, illustrated by Max Ginsburg | ||||
| Four children witness a confrontation between an elderly black man and a white storekeeper in rural Mississippi in the 1930s. | ||||
| 1988 Illustration - Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters: An African Tale by John Steptoe | ||||
| Mufaro’s two beautiful daughters, one bad-tempered, one kind and sweet, go before the king, who is choosing a wife. | ||||
| 1987 Text - Justin and the Best Biscuits in the World by Mildred Pitts Walker, illustrated by Catherine Stock | ||||
| Suffering in a family full of females, ten-year-old Justin feels that cleaning and keeping house are women’s work until he spends time on his beloved grandfather’s ranch. | ||||
| 1987 Illustration - Half a Moon and One Whole Star illustrated by Jerry Pinkney, written by Crescent Dragonwagon | ||||
| The summer night is full of wonderful sounds and scents as Susan falls asleep. | ||||
| 1986 Text - The People Could Fly: American Black Folktales by Virginia Hamilton, illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon | ||||
| Retold Afro-American folktales of animals, fantasy, the supernatural, and desire for freedom, born of the sorrow of the slaves, but passed on in hope. | ||||
| 1986 Illustration - The Patchwork Quilt illustrated by Jerry Pinkney, written by Valerie Flournoy | ||||
| Using scraps cut from the family’s old clothing, Tanya helps her grandmother and mother make a beautiful quilt that tells the story of her family’s life. | ||||
| 1985 Text - Motown and Didi by Walter Dean Myers | ||||
| Didi dreams of college and her boyfriend Motown dreams of steady work, but first, both must survive in the often brutal present which is Harlem. | ||||
| 1985 Illustration - No award given. | ||||
| 1984 Text - Everett Anderson’s Goodbye by Lucille Clifton, illustrated by Ann Grifalconi | ||||
| Everett Anderson has a difficult time coming to terms with his grief after his father dies. | ||||
| 1984 Illustration - My Mama Needs Me illustrated by Pat Cummings, written by Mildred Pitts Walker | ||||
| Jason wants to help, but isn’t sure that his mother needs him at all after she brings home a new baby from the hospital. | ||||
| 1983 Text - Sweet Whispers, Brother Rush by Virginia Hamilton | ||||
| Fourteen-year-old Tree, resentful of her working mother who leaves her in charge of a retarded brother, encounters the ghost of her dead uncle and comes to a deeper understanding of her family’s problems. | ||||
| 1983 Illustration - Black Child by Peter Magubane | ||||
| Photo essay of social conditions among the black children of South Africa. | ||||
| 1982 Text - Let the Circle Be Unbroken by Mildred D. Taylor | ||||
| Four black children growing up in rural Mississippi during the Depression experience racial antagonisms and hard times, but learn from their parents the pride and self-respect they need to survive. | ||||
| 1982 Illustration - Mother Crocodile: An Uncle Amadou Tale From Senegal illustrated by John Steptoe, written by Birago Diop, adapted by Rosa Guy | ||||
| Because Mother Crocodile tells stories of the past, the little crocodiles choose to believe she is crazy until almost too late they learn otherwise. | ||||
| 1981 Text - This Life by Sidney Poitier | ||||
| An autobiography of actor-singer Sidney Poitier. | ||||
| 1981 Illustration - Beat The Story-Drum, Pum-Pum retold and illustrated by Ashley Bryan | ||||
| Includes the stories Hen and Frog, Why Bush Cow and Elephant Are Bad Friends, The Husband Who Counted the Spoonfuls, Why Frog and Snake Never Play Together, and How Animals Got Their Tails. | ||||
| 1980 Text - The Young Landlords by Walter Dean Myers | ||||
| Five devoted friends become landlords and try to make their Harlem neighborhood a better place to live. | ||||
| 1980 Illustration - Cornrows illustrated by Carole Byard, written by Camille Yarbrough | ||||
| Explains how the hair style of cornrows, a symbol in Africa since ancient times, can today in this country symbolize the courage of outstanding Afro-Americans. | ||||
| 1979 Text - Escape To Freedom: A Play about Young Frederick Douglass by Ossie Davis | ||||
| Born a slave, young Frederick Douglass endures many years of cruelty before escaping to the North to claim his freedom. | ||||
| 1979 Illustration - Something On My Mind illustrated by Tom Feelings, written by Nikki Grimes | ||||
| Poems expressing the hopes, fears, joys, and sorrows of growing up. | ||||
| 1978 - Africa Dream by Eloise Greenfield, illustrated by Carole Byard | ||||
| A black child’s dreams are filled with the images of the people and places of Africa. | ||||
| 1977 - The Story of Stevie Wonder by Jim Haskins | ||||
| A biography of the blind composer, pianist, and singer who was a child prodigy and went on to win nine Grammy awards. | ||||
| 1976 - Duey’s Tale by Pearl Bailey | ||||
| 1975 - The Legend Of Africania by Dorothy Robinson, illustrated by Herbert Temple | ||||
| 1974 - Ray Charles by Sharon Bell Mathis, illustrated by George Ford | ||||
| A biography of the Black musician who became famous despite his blindness. | ||||
| 1973 - I Never Had It Made: The Autobiography of Jackie Robinson by Jackie Robinson, as told to Alfred Duckett | ||||
| An autobiography of the great athlete who broke baseball’s color barrier. | ||||
| 1972 - Seventeen Black Artists by Elton C. Fax | ||||
| 1971 - Black Troubador: Langston Hughes by Charlemae H. Rollins | ||||
| 1970 - Martin Luther King, Jr.: Man of Peace by Lillie Patterson, illustrated by Victor Mays | ||||
| A biography of the minister, orator, and crusader for equal civil rights who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. | ||||
