Read this author’s journey to writing and publishing here:
The Brown Bookshelf 28 Days Later: Day 13 Helena Haywood Heart, author of Last Chance Live!
Read more about this author’s journey into writing and 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
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 Julius Lester Monday
Julius Lester, children’s and adult author, was born January 27. He passed away in 2018. More information about Julius Lester can be found here:
365 Black Books: 2022 CSK Award Winners Wednesday
2022 CSK Author and Illustrator Award Winner: Unspeakable The Tulsa Race Massacre by Carole Boston Weatherford; illustrated by Floyd Cooper
2022 Author Honor Book: Home is Not a Country by Safia Elhillo
2022 John Steptoe New Talent Author Award Winner: Me(Moth) by Amber McBride
2022 John Steptoe New Talent Illustrator Award Winner: The Me I Choose to Be; illustrated by Regis and Kahran Bethencourt
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 2024 CSK Book Awards Monday
2024 Author Winner: Nigeria Jones by Ibi Zoboi
2024 Illustrator Winner: An American Story art by Dare Coulter
2024 John Steptoe New Talent Author Award Winner: There Goes the Neighborhood by Jade Adia
2024 John Steptoe New Talent Illustrator Award Winner:
The CamaraIfe Maktaba 