Top Ten Coretta Scott King Award and Honor Book

Coretta scott king award

This year for the Heflin annual Family Literacy Night 2018, I am showcasing books that have been awarded the distinguished Coretta Scott King Award.   The Coretta Scott King Book Awards are given annually to outstanding African American authors and illustrators of books for children and young adults that demonstrate an appreciation of African American culture and universal human values.  The award commemorates the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and honors his wife, Mrs. Coretta Scott King, for her courage and determination to continue the work for peace and world brotherhood am very excited to showcase these award winning books throughout the month of April!

2018 award winner

Watson, R. (2018). Piecing me together. London: Bloomsbury.

This is a coming of age story for a young African American girl  Jade. Jade is tyring to make a positive impact in her life by taking every opportunity. She is on a scholarship from a mostly white school and is e3xpereincing that fish out of water feeling. Jade knows what she wants unlike most teenagers. She knows that she wants to escape her poor neighborhood, go to a great college on a scholarship, and eventually buy her mama the house she isn’t able to afford on her own.  The book follows Jade's year of school as she faces challenges with friends, her mentor, and discusses topics of racial identity (both within and outside of the black community), history & politics, and the thing that's most important to Jade—her art. She makes beautiful collages and is inspired by her life to put pieces together as she tries to come to terms with her own identity as a young woman, a black girl, and someone straddling so many divides.  This book was a true resonate with me as an African American woman I see my self in this beautiful complicated heroine as she pieces herself together  (2018)

Steptoe, J. (2016). Radiant child: the story of young artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. New York: Little, Brown and Company.

This is the incredible story of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Jean-Michel is a famous artist who is born in Brooklyn, NY. His father is Hattian and his mother is Puerto Rican. Through the lush, color rich pictures we see the world through the artistic eye of Jean-Michel Basquiat. (Caldecott Winner 2017)

Golio, G., & Steptoe, J. (2010). Jimi: Sounds like a rainbow: A story of the young Jimi Hendrix. New York: Clarion Books.

The book itself, with its rhythmic, flowing language and illustrations that explode with colors makes this book nothing less than magical. In Jimi sounds like a rainbow, Golio presents the story of a young Jimi Hendrix and his discovery of art, music, and the world around him. This author uses wonderful descriptive words that really help to bring sounds to life in the reader's mind. "Until he could play the sound of raindrops"- the reader can get a wonderful sound in their mind imagining what raindrops would sound like played on a small drum. Illustrations are rich in color and imagination, the placement of the bold words with the boldness of the illustrations bring readers complete enjoyment.

(2011)

Draper, S. M. (1998). Forged by fire. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

Sharon M. Draper goes deep into a story about a child who grew up in a bad place and had to overcome many adversities to ensure the wellbeing of himself and his sister. Gerald the main character was living with his mom who was a drug addict and left him home alone one day. Gerald so intrigued by the flame of a lighter accidentally sets the house on fire but luckily before Gerald would have been burned to ashes one of the neighbors come in and save him. This complex story manages to make horrific life tragedies such as drug abuse, poverty, physical and mental abuse relatable to young readers. The reality is this is the reality for children today.

( 1998)

San Succi, R. (1992). Sukey and the Mermaid. Paw Prints.

 Sukey and the Mermaid is a fairytale about mermaids. The plot revolves around Sukey, a girl from a poor family who must do a lot of work to help keep the family afloat. One day she decides to take a break and sing to herself by the ocean and a beautiful mermaid rises to the surface. They become close and spend more and more time together. The illustrations beautifully reflect the story telling. The illustrations compliment the story and brings life to this beloved Caribbean folktale.

Taylor, M. D. (1987). The friendship. New York: Dial.

 Mildred D. Taylor brilliantly depicts a relationship between a white man and a black man living in the South before the Civil Rights Movement. The story begins with the Logan children on their way to the store for medicine for their Aunt Cassie. They are nervous about going to this store because it is owned by the Wallace family. The Wallace’s are white and the Logans are black. This book will bring many thought provoking questions and discussions from young readers. It allows young readers relate to the Logan children to understand and learn about segregation and racism.

(1987)

Adoff, A., & Steptoe, J. (1983). All the colors of the race: Poems. New York, NY: Beech Tree Books.

All the Colors of the Race is a collection of themed poems about a biracial girl and her feelings towards her mixture of races and the worlds perception of race in general. Her poems touch on her own feelings of race as well as the way she feels the word perceives race and other cultures. The book uses poetry to tell a story. The poetry is free verse and written in way so young readers understand the story. This book supports diversity within races and brings culture awareness and the beauty of diversity amongst all of us. (1998)

Veaux, A. D. (1981). Dont explain: A song of Billie Holiday. New York: Harper.  

 This book is a fluently readable and more hard-hitting than a straight prose telling, de Veaux's distilled portrait of Billie Holiday as tormented genius-victim highlights her childhood scrubbing white people's white marble steps (at eight); her rape at ten, for which she was jailed for enticing her 40-year-old attacker; the indignities of touring with white bands. This is a poetic book that paints a beautiful picture of this famous Jazz singer. This book will draw in children who are artistic and lovers of music of all genres. (1981)

Haskins, J. (1977). The story of Stevie Wonder. New York: Dell.

 In addition to the cool illustrations incorporated into the text, the author also decided to incorporate real photographs into the text which added an element of realness and authenticity to the book. The book follows Stevie through his childhood and career. It gives insight of him being a normal child even though he is blind.

Book Review Mirror, Mirror: A Book of Reverso Poems

Singer, M. (2010). Mirror, Mirror. NY: Dutton.

This was a fun book with rigorous vocabulary that will challenge any book or poetry lover. The poems are told in the form of a fairy tales. This eclectic form of poetry allows the reader to understand both sides of the story. My favorite was “Cinderella”. I joyed the new spin on poetry and fairy tales classics.

Grade Level: Kindergarten-2

Book Review Wonderstruck

Selznick, B. (2001). Wonderstruck NY: Scholastic.

This book weaves together the story of Ben and Rose. Both stories are written more than fifty years apart. Ben is seeking the answers to many questions and Rose’s eloquent illustration help blend both stories together. I enjoyed this book because the character development was so enriching, and the reader is engaged through Ben’s inner voice. I also enjoyed the movie it was a good adaptation of the book. Below is a movie trailer for the book.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1vV0oorclg

Grade Level: 3-12

Book Review Bridge To Terabithia

Paterson, K. (1972). Bridge to Terabithia . NY: Crown.

I vividly remembering reading this book in the 4^th grade with Mrs. Guzman and she read it out loud with us and then we would discuss it. I remember trying to hold back my tears only to go to the bathroom and cry. After reading this book my love for books intensified because every book was my “Terabithia” books helped me escape my reality of having a mentally it mother. Reading this book again over twenty years later brought tears to my eyes but this time they were happy tears. This classic book is steal a five star reader in my heart!

Grade Level: 3-8