Curtis, Bryan win 2008 Coretta Scott King Awards
PHILADELPHIA - Christopher Paul Curtis, author of "Elijah of Buxton," and Ashley Bryan, illustrator of "Let it Shine," are the winners of the 2008 Coretta Scott King Awards honoring African American authors and illustrators of outstanding books for children and young adults. Sundee T. Frazier, author of "Brendan Buckley's Universe and Everything in It," is the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Author Award winner.
The awards were announced today at the American Library Association's (ALA) Midwinter Meeting taking place at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, January 11-16.
"Elijah of Buxton," published by Scholastic, tells the story of 11-year-old Elijah, known to family and friends as "frag-ile," and the community of former slaves who build a new life in Canada. Elijah's story introduces readers to "the" Mr. Frederick Douglass, a shyster "preacher" and the ill-fated Mr. Leroy. This serious and sensitive account includes numerous laugh-out-loud moments including a toady-frog incident and an episode showing Elijah's stone-chunking skills while catching fish for dinner.
Curtis, a Michigan native, discovered his talent for writing while trying to relieve the boredom of working on the assembly line in an automobile plant in Flint, Mich.; the setting for his first two prize-winning novels. Curtis lives in Windsor, Canada, with his wife and family.
"Christopher Paul Curtis is particularly adept at capturing little-known aspects of the African American experience in Canada. Curtis' research brings alive the stories of escaped slaves." said Award Jury Chair Carole McCollough.
Two King Author Honor Books were selected: "November Blues," by Sharon M. Draper, published by Atheneum Books for Young Adults and "Twelve Rounds to Glory: The Story of Muhammad Ali," written by Charles R. Smith Jr., illustrated by Bryan Collier, published by Candlewick Press.
"In 'Let it Shine,' written and illustrated by Ashley Bryan and published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers, Bryan uses bright-colored paper to create the collage figures that cover double-page spreads illustrating three selected spirituals," said McCollough. "Bryan's meticulous attention to detail is evident in the accuracy of the musical notations provided for each song."
Bryan is known internationally as a writer, storyteller and artist. He is the winner of numerous awards for his illustrations in children's books. After retirement from the art department of Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H., Bryan now lives on one of the Cranberry Islands in Maine.
Two Illustrator Honor Books were selected: "The Secret Olivia Told Me," by N. Joy, illustrated by Nancy Devard, published by Just Us Books, and "Jazz On A Saturday Night," by Leo and Diane Dillon, published by Scholastic Blue Sky Press.
Occasionally awarded, the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award rewards new talent and offers visibility to a children's book creator at the beginning of their career. This year the award is presented to “Brendan Buckley's Universe and Everything in It,” written by Sundee T. Frazier and published by Delacorte Press. Ten-year-old Brendan, a Tae Kwon Do blue belt, takes a scientific approach to everything he does, asking questions and recording answers. Brendan daringly seeks answers to the conflict surrounding his biracial family and discovers a grandfather he never knew he had.
The Coretta Scott King Award is presented annually by the Coretta Scott King Committee of ALA's Ethnic Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table (EMIERT).
Members of the 2008 Coretta Scott King Book Award Jury are: Jury Chair Carole McCollough, educational consultant, Southfield, Mich.; Bettye Loggins Smith, District of Columbia Public Library, Washington; Henrietta M. Smith, University of South Florida, Tampa, Fla.; Adelaide Poniatowski Phelps, Oakland University, Rochester, Mich.; Brenda M. Hunter, Atlanta-Fulton Public Library, Atlanta; Martha Ruff, Prince George's County Memorial Library System, Oxon Hill, Md. and Denyvetta Davis, Metropolitan Library System, Oklahoma City.
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Contact:
Macey Morales/Jennifer Petersen
ALA Media Relations
312-280-5043/4393
Draper, Nelson win 2007 Coretta Scott King Awards
SEATTLE – Sharon Draper, author of “Copper Sun,” and Kadir Nelson, illustrator of “Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom,” are the winners of the 2007 Coretta Scott King Awards honoring African American authors and illustrators of outstanding books for children and young adults. Traci L. Jones, author of “Standing Against the Wind,” is the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Author Award winner.
The awards were announced today at the American Library Association (ALA) Midwinter Meeting in Seattle. In “Copper Sun,” 15-year-old Amari’s struggle with the evils of slavery will resonate with today’s teens. Amari is brutally dragged from her home in Africa, forced onto a slave ship and eventually sold as a gift for a plantation owner’s son. Forming an unlikely alliance with an indentured servant and a young slave boy, the threesome escape and set off on a treacherous journey of hope and survival.
“You can’t help but be drawn into Amari’s life as you turn the pages,” said Coretta Scott King Book Award Jury Chair Darwin L. Henderson. “Amari's spirit and determination will leave readers breathless, even as they gain a deeper understanding of the history of slavery in our country.”
Draper currently lives in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she writes the stories teenagers love to read. She is the recipient of the 1998 Coretta Scott King Award for text, 2004 Coretta Scott King honor award and the 1995 John Steptoe New Talent Award. “Copper Sun” is published by Simon & Schuster/Atheneum Books for Young Readers.
In “Moses,” written by Carole Boston Weatherford and published by Jump at the Sun/Hyperion Books for Children, the strong emotional impact of Nelson’s illustrations combine with rich sensory language to make this book a work of art. Nelson’s bold and expressively detailed paintings capture the essence of Harriet Tubman’s treacherous journey toward freedom. Double-page spreads use shades of blues, browns and golds to portray Tubman as a larger-than-life African historical figure while maintaining her full humanity.
Nelson, who lives in San Diego, began drawing at age 3. He is the recipient of the 2005 Coretta Scott King Award for illustration and a 2004 Coretta Scott King honor award. In 2002, he won an NAACP Image Award.
Occasionally awarded, the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award affirms new talent and offers visibility to excellence in writing and/or illustrations at the beginning of a career as a published children’s book creator. “Standing Against the Wind” introduces readers to 13-year-old Patrice as she is uprooted from her comfortable home in Georgia just before her mother goes to jail. In her debut novel, Jones captures Patrice’s sense of alienation and strong self-determination. Patrice learns to dodge the cruel bullying of streetwise boys, reach her goals and succeed “against the wind.” The book is pulished by Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
One King Author Honor Book was selected: “The Road to Paris” written by Nikki Grimes and published by G.P. Putnum’s Sons, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group.
Two King Illustrator Honor Books were selected: “Jazz,” illustrated by Christopher Myers, written by Walter Dean Myers and published by Holiday House, Inc.; and “Poetry for Young People: Langston Hughes” illustrated by Benny Andrews, edited by David Roessel and Arnold Rampersad, and published by Sterling Publishing Co., Inc.
The Coretta Scott King Award is presented annually by the Coretta Scott King Committee of the ALA’s Ethnic & Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table (EMIERT).
Members of the 2007 Coretta Scott King Book Award Jury are: Chair Darwin L. Henderson, University of Cincinnati, Ohio, Brenda M. Hunter, Atlanta-Fulton (Ga.) Public Library, retired; Kimberly A. Patton, Lawrence (Kans.) Public Library; Adelaide Poniatowski Phelps, Oakland University, Rochester, Mich.; Bettye Loggins Smith, District of Columbia Public Library; Henrietta M. Smith, University of South Florida-Tampa.; Lila B. Wisotzki, Baltimore County (Md.) Public Library.
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Contact:
Larra Clark/Macey Morales
ALA Media Relations
312-280-5043/4393
Past Press Releases
Lester, Collier win 2006 Coretta Scott King Awards
(SAN ANTONIO) Julius Lester, author of “Day of Tears: A Novel in Dialogue,” and Bryan Collier, illustrator of “Rosa,” are the winners of the 2006 Coretta Scott King Awards honoring African American authors and illustrators of outstanding books for children and young adults. Jaime Adoff, author of “Jimi & Me,” is the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Author Award winner.The awards were announced today at the American Library Association (ALA) Midwinter Meeting, January 20-25.
“Day of Tears: A Novel in Dialogue,” published by Jump at the Sun, an imprint of Hyperion Books for Children, is Lester’s masterful fictionalized account of the largest slave auction in U.S. history, held in 1859 in Savannah, Ga. In a powerfully dramatic format, the voices of enslaved Africans and their masters move between monologues and conversations.
“These elements of dialogue offer an excellent opportunity for readers’ theater,” said Award Committee Chair Darwin Henderson. “This accessible novel allows the reader to understand the moral dilemmas faced by the characters and their challenge to affirm humanity in the midst of slavery.”
Lester, professor emeritus at the University of Massachusetts, is the recipient of numerous literary awards including a Newbery Honor for “To Be a Slave” and a Coretta Scott King Honor for the retelling of the “Tales of Uncle Remus.” He also was honored as a finalist for the National Book Award and the Jewish Book Award.
In “Rosa,” written by Nikki Giovanni and published by Henry Holt and Company, Collier uses uniquely bold illustrations depicting Rosa Parks as an inspirational and unwavering force. Intricate profiles hidden in the details of the background give the reader a sense of collective community spirit.
“Collier portrays the legendary seamstress known as the mother of the Civil Rights Movement in a vivid mix of watercolor and collage,” Henderson said. “He depicts a weary but determined Mrs. Parks. His brilliant illustrations capture her frustration with the status quo of the Jim Crow South.”
Collier, who lives in Harlem, N.Y., began painting at the age of 15. He is an honor’s graduate of the prestigious Pratt Institute. Collier is the recipient of the 2001 Coretta Scott King Award for Illustration and the Ezra Jack Keats New Illustrator Award.
Occasionally awarded, the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award affirms new talent and offers visibility to excellence in writing and/or illustrations at the beginning of a career as a published children’s book creator. “Jimi & Me,” written by Jaime Adoff, is a poignant novel written in free verse describing the tumultuous experience of Keith James, a 13-year-old biracial teen who must cope with the unexpected murder of his father. Left destitute, Keith and his mother must leave their comfortable life in Brooklyn, N.Y., to live in a small town in Ohio, and share a home with his paternal aunt. Faced with loss, change and betrayal, Keith finds solace in his music and his idol Jimi Hendrix. The book is published by Jump at the Sun, an imprint of Hyperion Books for Children.
Three King Author Honor Books were selected: “Maritcha: A Nineteenth-Century American Girl” by Tonya Bolden, published by Harry N. Abrams, Inc., Publishers; “Dark Sons” by Nikki Grimes, published by Jump at the Sun, an imprint of Hyperion Books for Children; and “A Wreath for Emmett Till” by Marilyn Nelson, published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
One Illustrator Honor Book was selected: “Brothers in Hope: The Story of the Lost Boys of Sudan” by R. Gregory Christie, published by Lee and Low Books.
The Coretta Scott King Award is presented annually by the Coretta Scott King Committee of the ALA’s Ethnic Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table (EMIERT).
Members of the 2006 Coretta Scott King Book Award Jury are: Darwin L. Henderson, University of Cincinnati, Ohio; Yolanda Foster Bolden, Forsyth County (N.C.) Public Library; Dorothy Guthrie, Gaston County (N.C.) Schools; Brenda M. Hunter, Atlanta- Fulton (Ga.) Public Library, retired; Claudette S. McLinn, Los Angeles Unified School District; Kimberly A. Patton, Lawrence (Kans.) Public Library; Lila B. Wisotzki, Baltimore County (Md.) Public Library.