Coretta Scott King Awards

September 4, 2020 - As we continue with our ‘Read for Change’ series, families may be looking for other books for their children written by authors of color that explore the black experience. There are a lot of resources and booklists out there that recommend titles for young people however, I want to tout one that librarians around the country hold in high regard: The Coretta Scott King Book Awards.

According to its website, the Coretta Scott Kings Book Awards “are given annually to outstanding African American authors and illustrators of books for children and young adults that demonstrate an appreciation of African American culture and universal human values.” The award is organized by the Ethnic & Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table (EMIERT) of the American Library Association (ALA). 

There is an annual award given to an author and an Illustrator.  There are  also honor awards for authors and illustrators, the John Steptoe Award for New Talent, and the Coretta Scott King-Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement. Each year readers and librarians eagerly await the award recipient announcements.

All this is to say  that Coretta Scott King award winners are a really good collection of books! Perfect for promoting the understanding and the celebration of African American culture.   

Check out every award winner since 1970 here!  Now get your library card ready and check out the titles available from the Camas Public Library. 

Elliot Stapleton, Library Associate

September 4, 2020