Coretta Scott King Award Winners and Honorables: Juvenile and YA Titles

This list contains the winners and honored authors and illustrators for the Coretta Scott King Award that we carry throughout the Sussex County Library System from 1990 to present day. This award goes to any African American children's or young adult author or illustrator that has reflected the African American experience through their works outstandingly.

In honor of Coretta Scott King who, often remembered as Martin King Jr's wife, has also been referred to as "First Lady of the Civil Rights Movement".

Updated June 6, 2025
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Sussex County Library System (NJ)
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The crossover /
Alexander, Kwame
Paper Book
Series streaming now on Disney+, with executive producers including NBA great LeBron James! The Newbery Medal and Coretta Scott King Award-winning middle grade bestseller! Basketball and heartache share the court in this slam-dunk novel in verse. "With a bolt of lightning on my...
Moon over Star
Aston, Dianna Hutts.
Paper Book
In July 1969, the world witnessed an awe-inspiring historical achievement when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to set foot on the moon. For the young protagonist of this lyrical and hopeful picture book, that landing is something that inspires her to make one giant step toward...
Maritcha :
Bolden, Tonya
Paper Book
Discover the remarkable story of a free Black girl born during the days of slavery in this Coretta Scott King Honor Award-winning picture book   "To do the best for myself with the view of making the best of myself," wrote Maritcha Rémond Lyons (1848--1929)...
Beautiful blackbird /
Bryan, Ashley
Paper Book
A tale from the Ila-speaking people of Zambia gets new life in this picture book adaptation from Coretta Scott King Award winner Ashley Bryan about appreciating one's heritage and discovering the beauty within. Black is beautiful, uh-huh! Long ago, Blackbird...
Firebird : ballerina Misty Copeland shows a young girl how to dance like the firebird
Copeland, Misty
Paper Book
In her debut picture book, Misty Copeland tells the story of a young girl--an every girl--whose confidence is fragile and who is questioning her own ability to reach the heights that Misty has reached. Misty encourages this young girl's faith in herself and shows her exactly how, through hard work...
Bud, not Buddy /
Curtis, Christopher Paul
Paper Book
The Newbery Medal and Coretta Scott King Award-winning classic about a boy who decides to hit the road to find his father--from Christopher Paul Curtis, recipient of the Coretta Scott King-Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement.   It's 1936, in Flint, Michigan....
The Watsons go to Birmingham--1963 /
Curtis, Christopher Paul
Paper Book
During one of the most important times in the civil rights movement, one unforgettable family goes on a road trip in this Newbery and Coretta Scott King Honoree, from author Christopher Paul Curtis, recipient of the Coretta Scott King-Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement. ...
Rap a tap tap : here's Bojangles think of that!
Dillon, Leo.
Paper Book
With bold paintings and a simple, rhyming text, Caldecott Medalists Leo & Diane Dillon bring young readers a rap a tap tap celebration of dance that will have readers clapping and tapping along."There once was a man who danced in the street / He brought pleasure and joy to the people he'd greet / He...
Copper sun /
Draper, Sharon M.
Paper Book
A Time Best YA Book of All Time (2021) In this "searing work of historical fiction" (Booklist), Coretta Scott King Award-winning author Sharon M. Draper tells the epic story of a young girl torn from her African village, sold into slavery, and stripped of...
Rosa /
Giovanni, Nikki
Paper Book
An inspiring account of an event that shaped American history She had not sought this moment but she was ready for it. When the policeman bent down to ask "Auntie, are you going to move?" all the strength of all the people through all those many years joined in her. She...
The people could fly :
Hamilton, Virginia,
Paper Book
"THE PEOPLE COULD FLY," the title story in Virginia Hamilton's prize-winning American Black folktale collection, is a fantasy tale of the slaves who possessed the ancient magic words that enabled them to literally fly away to freedom. And it is a moving tale of those who did not have the opportunity...
My people
Hughes, Langston
Paper Book
This Coretta Scott King Award-winning photography book based on Langston Hughes's classic poem is perfect for kids and moving and powerful for readers of all ages. Langston Hughes'​s spare yet eloquent tribute to his people has been cherished for generations. Now, acclaimed...
Langston Hughes
Hughes, Langston
Paper Book
Sterling proudly announces an exciting and vibrant addition to Poetry for Young People: The first African-American themed book in the series, featuring the poems of the extraordinary Langston Hughes. Edited by the two leading experts on Hughes’s work, and illustrated by the...
The first part last
Johnson, Angela
Paper Book
Bobby's a classic urban teenager. He's restless. He's impulsive. But the thing that makes him different is this: He's going to be a father. His girlfriend, Nia, is pregnant, and their lives are about to change forever. Instead of spending time with friends, they'll be spending time with doctors, and...
I have a dream
King, Martin Luther, Jr.
Paper Book
Experience history with this picture book of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s iconic speech, including an audio CD. This Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Book will inspire young readers! From Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s daughter, Dr. Bernice A. King: "My father's dream...
Last stop on Market Street
de la Pen?a, Matt
Paper Book
#1 New York Times Bestseller A USA Today Bestseller Winner of the Newbery Medal A Caldecott Honor Book A Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Book A Kirkus Reviews Best Picture Book of the Century One of...
March. Book one
Lewis, John
Paper Book
#1New York TimesBestseller Congressman John Lewis (GA-5) is an American icon and key figure of the civil rights movement. His commitment to justice and nonviolence has taken him from an Alabama sharecropper's farm to the halls of Congress, from a segregated schoolroom to...
Sojourner Truth : ain't I a woman?
McKissack, Pat
Paper Book
The stirring award winning biography of an heroic African-American--Sojourner Truth--preacher, abolitionist and activist for the rights of African-Americans andwomen.
Remember : the journey to school integration
Morrison, Toni.
Paper Book
Remember is a unique pictorial and narrative journey that introduces children to a watershed period in American history and its relevance to us today. This beautiful 80-page hardcover picture book is a Coretta Scott King Award winner. Toni Morrison collected a treasure chest of archival...
Monster
Myers, Walter Dean
Paper Book
This New York Times bestselling novel from acclaimed author Walter Dean Myers tells the story of Steve Harmon, a teenage boy in juvenile detention and on trial. Presented as a screenplay of Steve's own imagination, and peppered with journal entries, the book shows how one...
Heart and soul :
Nelson, Kadir
Paper Book
The story of America and African Americans is a story of hope and inspiration and unwavering courage. In Heart and Soul, Kadir Nelson's stirring paintings and words grace 100-plus pages of a gorgeous picture book--a beautiful gift for readers of all ages, a treasure to share across...
Nelson Mandela
Nelson, Kadir.
Paper Book
This stunning picture book biography of Nelson Mandela by Kadir Nelson is a recipient of the Coretta Scott King Honor award. In this lush, acclaimed book, award-winning author-illustrator Kadir Nelson tells the story of global icon and Nobel Peace Prize winner Nelson Mandela in...
We are the ship : the story of Negro League baseball
Nelson, Kadir.
Paper Book
In this New York Times bestselling classic, Caldecott Medal-winning artist Kadir Nelson tells the incredible story of baseball's unsung heroes--with stunning, larger-than-life paintings and lively, accessible prose. Features nearly fifty iconic oil paintings, and...
Carver, a life in poems /
Nelson, Marilyn,
Paper Book
Newbery Honor Book National Book Award finalist Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Flora Stieglitz Straus Award Beautiful verse explores agricultural scientist George Washington Carver's life...
How I discovered poetry /
Nelson, Marilyn,
Paper Book
A powerful and thought-provoking Civil Rights era memoir from one of America's most celebrated poets.   Looking back on her childhood in the 1950s, Newbery Honor winner and National Book Award finalist Marilyn Nelson tells the story of her development as an artist and young woman...
Bad news for outlaws :
Nelson, Vaunda Micheaux
Paper Book
Coretta Scott King Author Award Read about the fascinating life of Bass Reeves, who escaped slavery to become the first African American Deputy US Marshal west of the Mississippi. Sitting tall in the saddle, with a wide-brimmed black hat and twin Colt pistols on his...
No crystal stair : a documentary novel of the life and work of Lewis Michaux, Harlem bookseller
Nelson, Vaunda Micheaux.
Paper Book
"You can't walk straight on a crooked line. You do you'll break your leg. How can you walk straight in a crooked system?" Lewis Michaux was born to do things his own way. When a white banker told him to sell fried chicken, not books, because "Negroes don't read," Lewis took five books and one...
Josephine :
Powell, Patricia Hruby,
Paper Book
Coretta Scott King Book Award, Illustrator, Honor Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award, Honor Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, Nonfiction Honor Parent's Choice Award Wall Street Journal's 10 Best Children's Books of the Year List Bologna Ragazzi Nonfiction Honor...
Martin's big words :
Rappaport, Doreen
Paper Book
A Caldecott Honor Book, Coretta Scott King Honor Book, and New York Times Book Review Best Illustrated Children's Book ● This "stunning, reverent" (School Library Journal) picture book biography of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., brings his...
All American boys
Reynolds, Jason
Paper Book
A 2016 Coretta Scott King Author Honor book, and recipient of the Walter Dean Myers Award for Outstanding Children's Literature. In this Coretta Scott King Honor Award-winning novel, two teens--one black, one white--grapple with the repercussions of a single violent act that...
Tar Beach /
Ringgold, Faith
Paper Book
CORETTA SCOTT KING AWARD WINNER * CALDECOTT HONOR BOOK * A NEW YORK TIMES BEST ILLUSTRATED BOOK * ONE OF THE ATLANTIC'S 65 ESSENTIAL CHILDREN'S BOOKS Acclaimed artist Faith Ringgold seamless weaves fiction, autobiography, and African American history into a...
Only passing through :
Rockwell, Anne F.
Paper Book
A powerful picture book biography of one of the abolitionist movement's most compelling voices. Sojourner Truth traveled the country in the latter half of the 19th century, speaking out against slavery. She told of a slave girl who was sold three times by age 13, who was beaten for not...
The talking eggs :
San Souci, Robert D.
Paper Book
A 1989 Caldecott Honor Book One of The Atlantic's 65 Essential Children's Books The author of such delights as The Christmas Ark and The Enchanted Tapestry joins forces with illustrator Pinkney to resurrect a colorful Creole folktale that captures the...
Ellington was not a street
Shange, Ntozake.
Paper Book
Featuring luminous art by illustrator Kadir Nelson, winner of the Coretta Scott King - Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement, this reflective picture book by poet Ntozake Shange looks back at the great Black thinkers and innovators who visited her father's house.
The land
Taylor, Mildred D.
Paper Book
Winner of the Coretta Scott King Award! Millions of fans have followed the Logan family in their seven-book series. Living in the South in the not-so-distant past, the Logans are the only black family to own farmland, while most of their black neighbors are sharecroppers on white-owned land....
The hate u give /
Thomas, Angie
Paper Book
8 starred reviews · Goodreads Choice Awards Best of the Best · William C. Morris Award Winner · National Book Award Longlist · Printz Honor Book · Coretta Scott King Honor Book · #1 New York Times Bestseller! "Absolutely riveting!" --Jason Reynolds ...
The blacker the berry :
Thomas, Joyce Carol
Paper Book
Black is dazzling and distinctive, like toasted wheat berry bread; snowberries in the fall; rich, red cranberries; and the bronzed last leaves of summer. In this lyrical and luminous poetry collection, Coretta Scott King honorees Joyce Carol Thomas and Floyd Cooper celebrate these many shades of...
Piecing me together
Watson, Renee
Paper Book
Newbery Honor and Coretta Scott King Author Award Winner New York Times bestseller "Timely and timeless." -Jacqueline Woodson "Important and deeply moving." -John Green Bestselling and Newbery Medal winning author Renée Watson offers a...
Moses :
Weatherford, Carole Boston,
Paper Book
In lyrical text, Carol Boston Weatherford describes Harriet 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, courageous and compassionate, and deeply religious, would take 19...
Working cotton
Williams, Sherley Anne
Paper Book
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
Gone crazy in Alabama /
Williams-Garcia, Rita
Paper Book
The Coretta Scott King Award-winning Gone Crazy in Alabama by Newbery Honor and New York Times bestselling author Rita Williams-Garcia tells the story of the Gaither sisters as they travel from the streets of Brooklyn to the rural South for the summer of a lifetime. Delphine, Vonetta, and...
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...
Brown girl dreaming
Woodson, Jacqueline.
Paper Book
NATIONAL BOOK AWARD WINNER * NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * The acclaimed author of Red at the Bone tells the moving story of her childhood in mesmerizing poems. A NEWBERY HONOR BOOK * WINNER OF THE CORETTA SCOTT KING BOOK AWARD * A KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST MIDDLE GRADE BOOK OF THE CENTURY...

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