Coretta Scott King Book Award Winners

Designed to commemorate the life and works of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and to honor Mrs. Coretta Scott King for her courage and determination to continue the work for peace, the Coretta Scott King Book Awards annually recognize outstanding books for young adults and children by African American authors and illustrators that reflect the African American experience.

Updated April 29, 2024
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Winnipeg Public Library
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There goes the neighborhood
Adia, Jade
Winner of the 2024 Coretta Scott King John Steptoe New Talent Award A raised fist against the destructive forces of gentrification and a love letter to communities of color everywhere, Jade Adia's unforgettable debut tells the darkly hilarious story of three best friends willing to...
An American story
Alexander, Kwame
A Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award Book A 2023 New York Times Best Children's Book A 2023 Publisher's Weekly Best Picture Book An NPR Best Book of the Year #1 New York Times Bestselling and...
Out of wonder : poems celebrating poets
Alexander, Kwame
The 2018 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award Winner A Newbery Medalist and a Caldecott Honoree's New York Times best-selling ode to poets who have sparked a sense of wonder. Out of gratitude for the poet's art form, Newbery Award-winning author...
The undefeated
Alexander, Kwame
Winner of the 2020 Caldecott Medal A 2020 Newbery Honor Book Winner of the 2020 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award The Newbery Award-winning author of THE CROSSOVER pens an ode to black American triumph and tribulation, with art from a two-time...
Trombone Shorty
Andrews, Troy
A 2016 Caldecott Honor Book and Coretta Scott King (Illustrator) Award Winner Hailing from the Trem\u00e9 neighborhood in New Orleans, Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews got his nickname by wielding a trombone twice as long as he was high. A prodigy, he was leading his own band by age six, and...
The stuff of stars
Bauer, Marion Dane
The 2019 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award Winner In an astonishing unfurling of our universe, Newbery Honor winner Marion Dane Bauer and Caldecott Honor winner Ekua Holmes celebrate the birth of every child. Before the universe was formed, before time and...
Beautiful blackbird
Bryan, Ashley.
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...
New kid
Craft, Jerry
Winner of the Newbery Medal, Coretta Scott King Author Award, and Kirkus Prize for Young Readers' Literature!  Perfect for fans of Raina Telgemeier and Gene Luen Yang, New Kid is a timely, honest graphic novel about starting over at a new school where diversity is low...
Elijah of Buxton
Curtis, Christopher Paul
Newbery Medalist and CSK Award winner Christopher Paul Curtis's debut middle-grade/young-YA novel for Scholastic features his trademark humor, compelling storytelling, and unique narrative voice.Eleven-year-old Elijah is the first child born into freedom in Buxton, Canada, a settlement of runaway...
Bud, not Buddy
Curtis, Christopher Paul.
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....
Legendborn
Deonn, Tracy
An Instant New York Times Bestseller! Winner of the Coretta Scott King - John Steptoe for New Talent Author Award Filled with mystery and an intriguingly rich magic system, Tracy Deonn's YA contemporary fantasy Legendborn offers the dark allure of...
Underground
Evans, Shane.
One of School Library Journal's Best Nonfiction Books of 2011 A few well chosen words and spellbinding images pack an emotion wallop not soon forgotten in this picture book for young readers about the Underground Railroad. A family silently crawls...
Rosa
Giovanni, Nikki.
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 said, "No." An inspiring account of an event that shaped American...
A few red drops : the Chicago Race Riots of 1919
Hartfield, Claire
This mesmerizing narrative nonfiction draws on contemporary accounts as it traces the roots of an explosion that had been building for decades in race relations, politics, business, and clashes of culture. Coretta Scott King Award winner * Carter G. Woodson Book Award from the National...
Dave the potter : artist, poet, slave
Hill, Laban Carrick.
A Caldecott Honor A Coretta Scott King Award Winner An award-winning celebration of an American hero Dave was an extraordinary artist, poet, and potter living in South Carolina in the 1800s. He combined his...
My people
Hughes, Langston
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...
March. Book three
Lewis, John
Welcome to the stunning conclusion of the award-winning and best-selling MARCH trilogy. Congressman John Lewis, an American icon and one of the key figures of the civil rights movement, joins co-writer Andrew Aydin and artist Nate Powell to bring the lessons of history to vivid life for a new...
Freewater
Luqman-Dawson, Amina
Winner of the John Newbery Medal Winner of the Coretta Scott King Author Award  An Indiebound Bestseller A New York Times Bestseller Award-winning author Amina Luqman-Dawson pens a lyrical,...
Remember : the journey to school integration
Morrison, Toni.
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...
Heart and soul : the story of America and African Americans
Nelson, Kadir.
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...
We are the ship : the story of Negro League baseball
Nelson, Kadir.
In this New York Times bestselling classic, Caldecott Medal-winning artist Kadir Nelson tells the incredible story of baseball's unsung heroes -- perfect for celebrating the centennial anniversary of the Negro Leagues! Winner of the Coretta Scott King Author ...
Radiant child : the story of young artist Jean-Michel Basquiat
Steptoe, Javaka
Winner of the Randolph Caldecott Medal and the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award Jean-Michel Basquiat and his unique, collage-style paintings rocketed to fame in the 1980s as a cultural phenomenon unlike anything the art world had ever seen. But before that, he...
Piecing me together
Watson, Renée
Newbery Honor and Coretta Scott King Author Award Winner New York Times bestseller"Timely and timeless." --Jacqueline Woodson "Important and deeply moving." --John Green Acclaimed author Renee Watson offers a powerful story about a girl...
Moses : when Harriet Tubman led her people to freedom
Weatherford, Carole Boston
A Caldecott Honor Book A Coretta Scott King Award Winner From a highly acclaimed author and bestselling artist comes a resounding, reverent tribute to Harriet Tubman, the woman who earned the name Moses for her heroic role in the Underground...
R-E-S-P-E-C-T : Aretha Franklin, the queen of soul
Weatherford, Carole Boston
Winner of the Coretta Scott King Illustration Award! From a New York Times bestselling author and an acclaimed illustrator comes this vibrant portrait of Aretha Franklin that pays her the R-E-S-P-E-C-T this Queen of Soul deserves. Aretha Franklin was born to sing. The...
Standing in the need of prayer : a modern retelling of the classic spiritual
Weatherford, Carole Boston
From an award-winning author and critically acclaimed artist comes a stunning and deeply moving picture book based on the popular spiritual. The classic lyrics have been reworked to chronicle the milestones, struggles, tragedies, and triumphs of African American history. A perfect gift or...
Gone crazy in Alabama
Williams-Garcia, Rita
Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern are off to Alabama to visit their grandmother, Big Ma, and her mother, Ma Charles. Across the way lives Ma Charles's half sister, Miss Trotter. The two half sisters haven't spoken in years. As Delphine hears about her family history, she uncovers the...
One crazy summer
Williams-Garcia, Rita.
Eleven-year-old Delphine has it together. Even though her mother, Cecile, abandoned her and her younger sisters, Vonetta and Fern, seven years ago. Even though her father and Big Ma will send them from Brooklyn to Oakland, California, to stay with Cecile for the summer. And even...
P.S. Be eleven
Williams-Garcia, Rita.
Things are changing in the Gaither household. After soaking up a "power to the people" mind-set over the summer, Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern return to Brooklyn with a newfound streak of independence. Pa has a girlfriend. Uncle Darnell is home from Vietnam, but he's not the same. And...
Before the ever after
Woodson, Jacqueline
WINNER OF THE NAACP IMAGE AWARD WINNER OF THE CORETTA SCOTT KING AUTHOR AWARD National Book Award winner Jacqueline Woodson's stirring novel-in-verse explores how a family moves forward when their glory days have passed and the cost of professional sports on Black bodies...
Brown girl dreaming
Woodson, Jacqueline
A New York Times Bestseller and National Book Award Winner Jacqueline Woodson, the acclaimed author of Red at the Bone, tells the moving story of her childhood in mesmerizing verse.   Raised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson always felt...
Nigeria Jones
Zoboi, Ibi Aanu
"An unwavering proclamation of Black girlhood." --Candice Iloh, author of National Book Award finalist Every Body Looking From Ibi Zoboi, bestselling, award-winning author of American Street and co-author of Punching the Air, comes a bold new YA coming-of-age story,...

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