Jane Addams Childrens' Book Award Winners

The Jane Addams Award is given each year to a title that represents promoting peace, social justice, world community, and equality. The first award was given in the year 1953, and named in honor of Laura Jane Addams, a leader in the history of social work and women's suffrage. She advocated for world peace, and was the first American woman to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

These titles are available throughout the Sussex County Library System, and each title will display which library has them and their availability. This list will be updated as new titles are added to the collection.

Please keep in mind that some of these titles will have multiple entries within the catalogue. If the copy clicked on through the list here is not available, try to type the title into the search bar and see if other editions will appear within the system.

They are listed in alphabetical order by the title of the book.

Updated April 23, 2026
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Sussex County Library System (NJ)
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Aunt Harriet's Underground Railroad in the sky
Ringgold, Faith.
Paper Book
The main character of Coretta Scott King Award and Caldecott Honor winner Tar Beach takes flight once again, encountering Harriet Tubman and learning about the Underground Railroad. Cassie, who flew above New York in Tar Beach, soars into the sky once more. This...
Choosing brave : how Mamie Till-Mobley and Emmett Till sparked the civil rights movement
Joy, Angela
Paper Book
A Caldecott-honor winning picture book biography of the mother of Emmett Till, and how she channeled grief over her son's death into a call to action for the civil rights movement. Mamie Till-Mobley is the mother of Emmett Till, the 14-year-old boy who was brutally murdered...
The day you begin
Woodson, Jacqueline
Paper Book
A #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! Featured in its own episode in the Netflix original show Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices! National Book Award winner Jacqueline Woodson and two-time Pura Belpré Illustrator Award winner Rafael López have teamed up to...
Each kindness
Woodson, Jacqueline.
Paper Book
WINNER OF A CORETTA SCOTT KING HONOR AND THE JANE ADDAMS PEACE AWARD! Each kindness makes the world a little better This unforgettable book is written and illustrated by the award-winning team that created The Other Side and the Caldecott Honor winner Coming On...
Emma's poem : the voice of the Statue of Liberty
Glaser, Linda.
Paper Book
Give me your tired,  your poor Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free...Who wrote these words?  And why? In 1883, Emma Lazarus, deeply moved by an influx of immigrants from Eastern Europe, wrote a sonnet that was to give voice to the Statue of Liberty.  Originally a...
Esperanza rising
Ryan, Pam Muñoz.
Paper Book
**CELEBRATING 25 YEARS IN PRINT!** A modern classic for our time and for all time―this beloved, award-winning bestseller resonates with fresh meaning for each new generation. Perfect for fans of Kate DiCamillo, Christopher Paul Curtis, and Rita Williams-Garcia. ...
Malala's magic pencil
Yousafzai, Malala
Paper Book
Nobel Peace Prize winner and New York Times bestselling author Malala Yousafzai's first picture book, inspired by her own childhood. "This is a wonderful read for younger students that will also provide insight and encourage discussion about the wider...
Martin's big words : the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Rappaport, Doreen.
Paper Book
Illustrated by Bryan Collier Winner of the 2001 NY Times Best Illustrated Children's Book Award, Rappaport weaves her simple and graceful text and the words of Martin Luther King Jr. into a captivating narrative, telling the story of Dr. King's life in a way that is entirely accessible for young...
Nasreen's secret school : a true story from Afghanistan
Winter, Jeanette.
Paper Book
Renowned picture book creator Jeanette Winter tells the story of a young girl in Afghanistan who attends a secret school for girls. Young Nasreen has not spoken a word to anyone since her parents disappeared. In despair, her grandmother risks everything to enroll...
New shoes
Meyer, Susan
Paper Book
Ella Mae is used to wearing her cousin's hand-me-down shoes--but when her latest pair is already too tight, she's thrilled at the chance to get new shoes. But at the shoe store, Ella Mae and her mother have to wait until there are no white customers to serve first. She...
Planting the trees of Kenya : the story of Wangari Maathai
Nivola, Claire A.
Paper Book
Wangari Maathai, winner of the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize and founder of the Green Belt Movement, grew up in the highlands of Kenya, where fig trees cloaked the hills, fish filled the streams, and the people tended their bountiful gardens. But over many years, as more and more land was cleared, Kenya...
Separate is never equal : Sylvia Mendez & her family's fight for desegregation
Tonatiuh, Duncan.
Paper Book
A 2015 Pura Belpr\u00e9 Illustrator Honor Book and a 2015 Robert F. Sibert Honor Book Almost 10 years before Brown vs. Board of Education, Sylvia Mendez and her parents helped end school segregation in California. An American citizen of Mexican and Puerto Rican heritage who spoke and wrote...
We are water protectors
Lindstrom, Carole
Paper Book
From author Carole Lindstrom and illustrator Michaela Goade comes a New York Times bestselling and Caldecott Medal winning picture book that honors Indigenous-led movements across the world. Powerfully written and gorgeously illustrated, We Are Water Protectors,...
Wilma unlimited :
Krull, Kathleen
Paper Book
Before Wilma Rudolph was five years old, polio had paralyzed her left leg. Everyone said she would never walk again. But Wilma refused to believe it. Not only would she walk again, she vowed, she'd run. And she did run--all the way to the Olympics, where she became the first American woman to earn...

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