Find The Best
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Of course you do. And you know you have to search harder for them when your child is not of the dominant culture.
I will feel better about the book if I know it is written by an African-American author.
Naturally. You don't want a black children's book written by someone imagining what it's like to be black.
(Search African-American children's books authors
I want African-American children's books that speak to my child about our culture's rich history.
Children's books are under siege
It's true. Today, reading competes with forms of entertainment that our children find more compelling. Quality African-American children's books have to compete with TV, music and video games.
The time previous generations spent with books is now more likely to be spent text messaging on a cell phone.
And yet...
And yet reading remains more important than ever. A child's best chance for success lies in books, perhaps even moreso for a black child than for others. A hunger for knowledge is what separates children with futures from children without them.
Since we know that a love of reading is key to our children's future success, it's up to us as parents to provide good fuel for that love!
An African-American children's book that doesn't entertain, that doesn't compel your child to keep turning pages, is as bad as no book at all.
Maybe worse if it turns your child off of reading!
So the pressure is on YOU to find the BEST African-American children's books
Fortunately, there's help to be had. Each year the American Library Association chooses winners of the Coretta Scott King Award for the best African-American children's books.
One award is given to the best African-American children's book by an African-American illustrator. And one award is given to the best book by an African-American children's book author.
The books are chosen for their educational AND inspirational qualities. These African-American children's books
"promote understanding and appreciation of the culture of all peoples and their contribution to the realization of the American dream."
I am listing below the winners of the Coretta Scott King Awards for African-American Children's Books dating back to 1990.
I recommend the Illustrator Awards if you're looking for African-American children's books for your children who are at the picture book level. Check the author awards for your older children.
Black Children's Book Author Award
(Presented here in association with Amazon.)
- 2008 - Elijah of Buxton, Christopher Paul Curtis
- 2007 - Copper Sun, Sharon Draper
- 2006 - Day of Tears: A Novel in Dialogue, Julius Lester
- 2005 - Remember: The Journey to School Integration, Toni Morrison
- 2004 - The First Part Last, Angela Johnson
- 2003 - Bronx Masquerade, Nikki Grimes
- 2002 - The Land, Mildred Taylor
- 2001 - Miracle's Boys, Jacqueline Woodson
- 2000 - Bud, Not Buddy, Christopher Paul Curtis
- 1999 - Heaven, Angela Johnson
- 1998 - Forged by Fire, Sharon M. Draper
- 1997 - Slam, Walter Dean Myers
- 1996 - Her Stories, Virginia Hamilton
- 1995 - Christmas in the Big House, Christmas in the Quarters, Patricia C. & Frederick L. McKissack
- 1994 - Toning the Sweep, Angela Johnson
- 1993 - Dark Thirty: Southern Tales of the Supernatural, Patricia A. McKissack
- 1992 - Now is Your Time: the African American Struggle for Freedom, Walter Dean Myers
- 1991 - The Road to Memphis, Mildred D. Taylor
- 1990 - A Long Hard Journey: the Story of the Pullman Porter, Patricia C. & Frederick L. McKissack
Black Children's Book Illustrator Award
- 2008 - Let it Shine by Ashley Bryan
- 2007 - Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom, Kadir Nelson
- 2006 - Rosa by Nikki Giovanni, Bryan Collier
- 2005 - Ellington Was Not a Street, Illustration by Kadir A. Nelson, text by Ntozake Shange
- 2004 - Beautiful Blackbird, by Ashley Bryan
- 2003 - Talkin' About Bessie: The Story of Aviator Elizabeth Coleman, illustrated by E. B. Lewis
- 2002 - Goin' Someplace Special, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney; text by Patricia McKissack
- 2001 - Uptown, by Bryan Collier
- 2000 - In the Time of the Drums, ill. by Brian Pinkney; text by Kim L. Siegelson
- 1999 - i see the rhythm, ill. by Michele Wood; text by Toyomi Igus
- 1998 - In Daddy's Arms I am Tall: African Americans Celebrating Fathers, ill. by Javaka Steptoe; text by Alan Schroeder
- 1997 - Minty: A Story of Young Harriet Tubman, ill. by Jerry Pinkney; text by Alan Schroeder
- 1996 - The Middle Passage: White Ships Black Cargo, by Tom Feelings
- 1995 - The Creation, ill. by James Ransome; text by James Weldon Johnson
- 1994 - Soul Looks Back in Wonder, ill. by Tom Feelings; text ed. by Phyllis Fogelman
- 1993 - The Origin of Life on Earth: an African Creation Myth, ill. by Kathleen Atkins Wilson; retold by David A. Anderson/SANKOFA
- 1992 - Tar Beach by Faith Ringgold
- 1991 - Aida, ill. by Leo and Diane Dillon; text by Leontyne Price
- 1990 - Nathaniel Talking, ill. by Jan Spivey Gilchrist; text by Eloise Greenfield
The Coretta Scott King Awards themselves date back to 1970, and most years there are Honorable Mention books as well. If you'd like to see the longer list, visit
Coretta Scott King African-American Children's Book Awards
The American Library Association also presents annually the John Steptoe Award for New Talent in the writing of African-American Children's Books.
The books are judged on the same criteria as the King Awards, but are limited to African-American children's book authors and illustrators who have three or fewer books to their credit.
You can find the Steptoe list at
John Steptoe Awards for New Talent in African-American Children's Books
Best Children's Books - Children's Books by Category
Best Children's Books home.
