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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Brave girl : Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers' Strike of 1909
Markel, Michelle.
Paper Book
The true story of the young immigrant who led the largest strike of women workers in U.S. history. This picture book biography about the plight of immigrants in America in the early 1900s and the timeless fight for equality and justice should not be missed. When Clara...
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...
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. ...
The History of We
Smith, Nikkolas
Paper Book
An awe-inspiring picture book about the origin and advancement of humans, from author and #1 New York Times bestselling illustrator Nikkolas Smith. A Robert F. Sibert Informational Honor Book Fossil records show that the first humans were born in Africa....
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...
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...
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,...

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