Read more about this author’s path to publishing here.
365 Black Books: 2018 Coretta Scott King Book Award Winners and Honors Tuesday
Returning to the Coretta Scott King Book Awards, the following books were the 2018 winners and honors.
2018 Author Winner: Piecing Me Together by Renee Watson
2018 Illustrator Award Winner: Out of Wonder, illustrated by Ekua Holmes
2018 Author and Illustrator Honors Title: Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut; written by Derrick Barnes; illustrated by Gordon C. James
John Steptoe New Talent Author Award Winner: The Stars Beneath Our Feet by David Barclay Moore. A very good book!
John Steptoe New Talent Illustrator Award Winner: Mama Africa!; illustrated by Charly Palmer
The Brown Bookshelf 28 Days Later Day 10: Sandra Headen, author of The Warrior on the Mound
I read this book and enjoyed it. Very realistic, well developed characters; strong themes and messages. More about this author can be found here:
365 Black Books: 2025 Miself in Books Sunday
Miself in Books is an inclusive list of books curated by Michigan school librarians. You can access and download the pdf document here:
Book 1 PreK-Grade 1: Oshun and Me: A Story of Love and Braids by Adiba Nelson; illustrated by Alleanna Harris
Book 2 Lower Elementary: At Night, They Danced by Victoria Scott-Miller; illustrated by Toni D. Chambers
Book 3 Black Lives Great Minds of Science by Tonya Bolden; illustrated by David Wilkerson
Book 4 High School: Up in Smoke by Nick Brooks
365 Black Books 2024 BCALA Best of the Best Black Books (BOTB) Saturday
Sharing three more children’s and young adults books from our 2024 BOTB list.
PreK-4: Outspoken by Carole Boston Weatherford; illustrated by Eric Velasquez
Grades 5-8: A Place to Shine by Marie Arnold
Grades 9-12: Where Was Goodbye? by Janice Lynn Mather
365 Black Books 2020 CSK Book Awards Friday
2020 Author Winner: New Kid by Jerry Craft
2020 Illustrator Award Winner: The Undefeated; illustrated by Kadir Nelson
2020 John Steptoe New Talent Author Award Winner: Genesis Begins Again by Alicia D. Williams
2020 John Steptoe New Talent Illustrator Award Winner: What is Given From the Heart; illustrated by April Harrison
365 Black Books 2023 CSK Book Awards Tuesday
The following books were 2023 CSK Book Award Winners
2023 Author Winner: Freewater by Amina Luqman-Dawson
2023 Illustrator Winner: Standing in the Need of Prayer; illustrated by Frank Morrison
2023 John Steptoe New Talent Author Award Winner: We Deserve Monuments by Jas Hammonds
2023 John Steptoe New Talent Illustrator Award Winner: Choosing Brave; illustrated by Janelle Washington
365 Black Books: Coretta Scott King Book Awards
This week I will feature award winners and honors from the Coretta Scott Book Awards. This year’s winners and honors:
2025 Author Winner: Twenty-four Seconds From Now by Jason Reynolds
2025 Illustrator Award Winner: My Daddy is a Cowboy illustrated by C. G. Esperanza
2025 Author Honor Book: Black Girl You are Atlas by Renee Watson
2025 Illustrator Honor Book: Coretta, The Autobiography of Mrs. Coretta Scott King illustrated by Ekua Holmes
365 Black Books MiSelf in Books Monday
These three books are from the 2025 Miself in Book list. You can view the list here.
Book 1 (Elementary): Black Star by Kwame Alexander
Book 2 (Middle Grade): One Big Open Sky by Lesa Cline-Ransome
Book 3 (Young Adult): Knucklehead Poems by Tony Keith, Jr.
365 Black Books BCALA 2024 BOTB Saturday
The Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA) will soon be publishing the 2025 Best of the Best Books (BOTB). In the meantime, check out these books from the 2024 BOTB list.
Elementary: A Voice of Hope The Myrlie Evers-Williams Story by Nadia Saloman; illustrated by London Ladd
Middle Grade: Onyx & Beyond by Amber McBride
Young Adult Tanglefoot by Kalela Williams
The CamaraIfe Maktaba 