Tuesday, July 10, 2007

African American Picture Books - January 2007


Earlier this year I learned about this phenomenon to anticipate the annual winners of various children's book awards, such as the Newbery or Caldecott Awards. These Mock award committees try to guess what the actual award committees will (or should) select (Click to link to one site.)

Rarely did I see blog sites conduct mock awards for the Coretta Scott King Author or Illustrator Awards. The awards, given annually by the American Library Association Social Responsibilities Round Table and the Coretta Scott King Task Force, to "African American authors and illustrator for outstanding inspirational and educational contributions ... [to] promote understanding and appreciation of the culture of all peoples and their contribution to the realization of the American dream." The first author award was presented in 1970. In 1995, the John Steptoe Award for New Talent was added to "affirm new talent and offer visibility to excellence in writing or illustration at the beginning of a career as a published book creator."

To assist with 2008 Mock award discussions, I'll create a list of new picture books by African American authors or illustrators - by month with 2007 copyrights. The list will include traditionally published as well as self-published titles. Do feel free to recommend suggestions for the list!

African American Picture Books - Black Authors or Illustrators - January 2007
  1. Henry’s Freedom Box by Ellen Levine, Kadir Nelson (illustrator)
  2. King for a Day by Leon III Goss, Chris Nichols (illustrator)
  3. Let It Shine: Three Favorite Spirituals by Ashley Bryan
  4. Lily Brown’s Paintings by Angela Johnson, E.B. Lewis (illustrator)
  5. Martha Ann’s Quilt for Queen Victoria by Kyra E. Hicks, Lee Edward Födi (illustrator)
  6. Michael’s Golden Rule by Deloris Jordan and Roslyn M. Jordan, Kadir Nelson (illustrator)
  7. Selfus Esteemus Personalitus Low by Leon III Goss, Ken Tunell (illustrator)
  8. Wind Flyers by Angela Johnson, Loren Long (illustrator)
  9. God, Can You Hear Me? by Justine Simmons, Robert Papp (illustrator). Pub – Amistad.
  10. I Dream For You a World: A Covenant for Our Children by Charisse Carney-Nunes (and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority member), Ann Marie Williams (illustrator). Pub - Brand Nu Words.
  11. Shouting! by Joyce Carol Thomas, Annie Lee (illustrator). Pub – Jump at the Sun.

7 comments:

Liz B said...

This is a great resource!

Don Tate II said...

Great idea, I'm glad you're doing this.

Anonymous said...

Hi there,

I would LOVE to participate in this. Having a mock CSK is long overdue. I started a blog recently becasue I was going to start a mock CSK and I came across your website and was overjoyed! Thank you.

I have a suggestion: When Gorilla Goes Walking by Nikki Grimes and illustrated by Shane Evans.

Kyra said...

Liz, Don -

Thanks - I hope these posts will be useful to a host of folks! I'm glad to learn about the new titles - and in some cases learn about authors and illustrators I hadn't been familar with.

Best, Kyra

Kyra said...

LibraryGrl - Thanks for the title! I'm a huge Shane Evans fan from when we both worked at Hallmark Cards - way back in the day. Shane once had an exhibit of his work in Kansas City - including a bed. He came by my place to ask if I would create a quilt for one of his beds that would be on exhibit. He even provided a bag of fabric scraps. Shane is a talented and just nice man! Best, Kyra

Best, Kyra

Anonymous said...

Hey Kyra,

Here's another January picture book:

I Dream For You a World: A Covenant for Our Children by Charisse Carney-Nunes and illustrated by Ann Marie Williams

It's a beautiful book with an important message.

Libraries, but we don't have the money! said...

I've spent the last couple of hours looking for a list of books like these to buy for our library (Coffs Harbour City Library, Australia). Thanks so much, I'll keep an eye on your blog.

Carolyn