The t H E C oinciding with the fortieth anniversary of the Coretta Scott King C CorEtta SCott King Book Award, this one-of-a-kind volume gathers together the best o of the best in African American children’s literature with r E • Comprehensive coverage of the award-winning books t awardS t • Biographical profiles that introduce the creative artists and a illustrators S • Color plates that give a vital sense of the story and art C o 1970–2009 • A new subject index ideal for curriculum planning t t Excellent for curriculum planning, collection development, and reference, K this is a must-have for every library. i n Find additional material on the book’s website, at www.ala.org/editions/ g extras/smith35842. a w a r d S You may also be interested in 1 9 7 0 – 2 0 0 9 www.alastore.ala.org S M i t H FourtH Edition 40th Anniversary American Library Association 50 East Huron Street A Chicago, IL 60611 L A 1-866-SHOP ALA Edited by Henrietta M. Smith (1-866-746-7252) www.alastore.ala.org The Coretta SCott King awardS 1970–2009 Fourth edition 40th Anniversary Edited by Henrietta M. Smith The Coretta Scott King Book Awards Committee Ethnic and Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table american Library association Chicago 2009 henrietta M. Smith is professor emerita with the School of Library and Information Science, University of South Florida, Tampa, and teaches the youth-oriented courses in the library school’s East Coast program. Her serv ice to ALA includes membership on Newbery, Caldecott, Batchelder, Carnegie, and Notable Film committees and chairing the Wilder Award Committee. Smith has served as chair of the Coretta Scott King Task Force, been both a member and chair of the awards jury, and edited the three previous editions of The Coretta Scott King Awards. For her ser vices to youth in many arenas, Smith received the ALSC 2008 Distinguished Ser vice Award. Cover art © 2008 by Kadir Nelson, created to commemorate the fortieth anniversary of the Coretta Scott King Book Awards in 2009. Used with permission of the artist. Poem “of course” (p. xiii) © 2009 by Arnold Adoff; reprinted with permission from the author. While extensive effort has gone into ensuring the reliability of information appearing in this book, the publisher makes no warranty, express or implied, on the accuracy or reliability of the information, and does not assume and hereby disclaims any liability to any person for any loss or damage caused by errors or omissions in this publication. The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1992. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication data The Coretta Scott King awards, 1970–2009 / edited by Henrietta M. Smith. — 4th ed. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and indexes. ISBN 978-0-8389-3584-2 (alk. paper) 1. Coretta Scott King Award. 2. American literature—African American authors— Bibliography. 3. American literature—African American authors—Awards. 4. African Americans—Intellectual life—Bibliography. 5. Children’s literature, American— Bibliography. 6. African Americans in literature—Bibliography. 7. Children—Books and reading—United States. 8. Children’s literature, American—Awards. I. Smith, Henrietta M. Z1037.A2C67 2009 [PS153.N5] 016.8108'09282'08996073—dc22 2009000628 Copyright © 2009 by the American Library Association. All rights reserved except those which may be granted by Sections 107 and 108 of the Copyright Revision Act of 1976. ISBN-13: 978-0-8389-3584-2 Printed in the United States of America 13 12 11 10 09 5 4 3 2 1 Dedicated to the memory of Basil Phillips 1930–2007 Lifelong supporter of the Coretta Scott King Book Awards Committee Contents Preface by Deborah Taylor vii Acknowledgments ix History xi Author Awards 1 Profile: A Conversation with Sharon M. Draper 45 Illustrator Awards 47 Profile: A Conversation with Jerry Pinkney 69 Biographies 71 Contributors 107 Coretta Scott King Award–Winning Authors, 1970–2009 109 Coretta Scott King Author Award and Honor Books by Title 113 Coretta Scott King Award–Winning Illustrators, 1974–2009 117 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award and Honor Books by Title 119 Subject Index 121 General Index 127 Illustrations from award-winning books follow page 70. Additional content can be found at www.ala.org/editions/extras/smith35842. v Preface This edition of The Coretta Scott King Awards is the fourth of this unique series, which celebrates high-quality literature for young readers written and illustrated by African Americans. The selections recognized by the Coretta Scott King Book Awards continue to represent the best in writing and artistic expression for all readers. Within these pages the reader will find reviews of each award title and brief excerpts from each winning author’s book. Updated biographies, reproduc- tions of selected award-winning illustrations, and specialized indexes make this an important resource for use in schools, public libraries, and university courses as well as for families to enjoy at home. As schools and educators strive to ensure that all students are aware of the wide diversity and rich history of this literature, this volume provides invaluable information to reach that goal. The Coretta Scott King Book Awards have made a significant contribution to the world of children and young adult literature. Many of the writers and illus- trators currently prominent in the field received their major recognition through these awards and continue to create sparkling examples of the best in books for young—and even those not so young—readers. These awards provide an invalu- able ser vice by bringing to the forefront outstanding talent that enriches the entire field. Of course, many long-standing artists and writers maintain their high standards of excellence and continue to be recognized. The Coretta Scott King Book Awards Committee is fortunate to have many talented reviewers and jurors, and we extend our deepest gratitude for their con- tributions to this edition. Our highest praise and thanks go to Henrietta M. Smith, winner of the 2008 Association for Library Ser vice to Children Distin- guished Ser vice Award and editor of this and the previous editions of The Coretta Scott King Awards. Deborah Taylor Chair, Coretta Scott King Book Awards Committee, 2007–2009 vii Acknowledgments As the ink dries on the last page of the fortieth anniversary edition of The Coretta Scott King Awards, a word of thanks and deep appreciation must go out to many who made this venture possible. My thanks to the contributing writers, without whom none of these volumes would have been possible Satia Marshall Orange, for always asking with encouragement “What can we do to make this book even better—even more useful?” Bonnie Smothers, the ALA editor who shepherded the first edition into print, who taught me so much about developing a book—including patience Mimi Kayden, for all her support the authors and illustrators, without whose talent and generosity there would be no book Ginnie Moore Kruse, who, in the beginning years, felt that a full-fledged book would be better than a booklet our founders and early supporters, who believed in the award at its inception the publishers who accepted the challenge of publishing more Coretta Scott King Award–eligible titles Godspeed to the one who takes up the mantle, at least for the next five years. Thanks for the memories. Thanks to everyone who helped to make “the rough places plain.” henrieTTa M. SMiTh ix