The Coretta Scott King Awards, 1970-2004

the long version

During a conference in 1969, two librarians, Glyndon Flynt Greer and Mabel McKissick, happened to meet at the booth of publisher John Carroll. The trio observed that no African-American author or illustrator had ever been honored by the prestigious Newbery and Caldecott Awards. It was decided that a special award should be developed to bring attention to the fine work produced in books for children and young people-work created by African-American authors and illustrators. In 1970, the first of these awards-The Coretta Scott King Award-was presented to author Lillie Patterson at the New Jersey Library Association meeting. Since then, this award has paid tribute to the best of the best African-American authors and illustrators of books for children and young adults. Dedicated to the memory of children's book author Virginia Hamilton, The Coretta Scott King Awards: 1970-2004 celebrates 35 years of African-American contributions to children's literature. This unique volume not only celebrates the award and the African-American community, but is a valuable selection tool and a teaching resource, both in schools for children and in library science programs. This new edition features: Comprehensive listings and annotations of all winners of the Coretta Scott King Awards from 1969 to 2004 Updated biographies of notable African-American writers and illustrators A sixteen-page color section features illustrations for award-winning books A personal look at what motivates and inspires contributors to African-American literature and art With in-depth indexes to help you apply the Coretta Scott King Awards in your school curriculum or public library programming, this is the must-have guide for sharing African-American heritage with children of all cultures.