Coretta Scott King Book Award Winners 1970 to Present
The Coretta Scott King Awards are presented annually by the American Library Association to honor African-American authors and illustrators who create outstanding books for children and young adults. “… an
excellent start on your quest for the best in African-American literature for children.”
The CSK Book Awards seal and award names are owned by the American Library Association.
The award was established in 1969 to recognize authors. In 1979 it was expanded to include a separate award for illustrators. There are now five categories for book awards; Author, Author Honor, Illustrator, Illustrator Honor, and the John Steptoe Award for New Talent.
These awards are given to commemorate the life and work of the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and to honor Mrs. Coretta Scott King for her continuing efforts in working for peace and civil rights issues. In 2015 The Coretta Scott King Awards became part of the Youth Media Awards. Here is a printable list of all the award winning books.
You may learn more, about this award, at the American Library Association’s website. Also check out our list of Top 100+ Recommended African-American Children’s Books, some are also CSK Award winning titles.
10 Coretta Scott King Award Winning and Honored Books for 2024
Author Award
Nigeria Jones
by Ibi Zoboi
1-time National Bestseller, Young Adult
- A 2024 National Bestselling Book – Young Adult
- A 2023 National Bestselling Book - Young Adult
- 2 Time AALBC.com Bestselling Book!
- Coretta Scott King Award Winning Book 2024
Balzer & Bray/Harperteen (May 09, 2023)
Fiction, Hardcover, 384 pages
Target Age Group: Young Adult
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Author Honor
Big
by Vashti Harrison, Illustrated by Vashti Harrison
14-time National Bestseller, Juvenile Fiction
- A 2024 National Bestselling Book – Juvenile Fiction
- A 2023 National Bestselling Book - Juvenile Fiction
- 5 Time AALBC.com Bestselling Book!
- Coretta Scott King Award Winning Book 2024
- Caldecott Medal Winner or Honor
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (May 02, 2023)
Fiction, Hardcover, 60 pages
Target Age Group: Picture Book
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Author Honor
How Do You Spell Unfair?: Macnolia Cox and the National Spelling Bee
by Carole Boston Weatherford, Illustrated by Frank Morrison
List Price: $18.99Candlewick Press (MA) (Apr 11, 2023)
Nonfiction, Hardcover, 40 pages
Target Age Group: Picture Book
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Author Honor
Kin: Rooted in Hope
by Carole Boston Weatherford, Illustrated by Jeffery Boston Weatherford
List Price: $18.99Atheneum Books for Young Readers (Sep 19, 2023)
Fiction, Hardcover, 208 pages
Target Age Group: Middle Grade
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Illustrator Award
An American Story
by Kwame Alexander, Illustrated by Dare Coulter
- A 2023 National Bestselling Book - Juvenile Fiction
- 2 Time AALBC.com Bestselling Book!
- Coretta Scott King Award Winning Book 2024
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (Jan 03, 2023)
Nonfiction, Hardcover, 56 pages
Target Age Group: Picture Book
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Illustrator Honor
Holding Her Own: The Exceptional Life of Jackie Ormes
by Traci N. Todd, Illustrated by Shannon Wright
List Price: $21.99Orchard Books (Jan 03, 2023)
Nonfiction, Hardcover, 48 pages
Target Age Group: Early Reader
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Illustrator Honor
Big
by Vashti Harrison, Illustrated by Vashti Harrison
14-time National Bestseller, Juvenile Fiction
- A 2024 National Bestselling Book – Juvenile Fiction
- A 2023 National Bestselling Book - Juvenile Fiction
- 5 Time AALBC.com Bestselling Book!
- Coretta Scott King Award Winning Book 2024
- Caldecott Medal Winner or Honor
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (May 02, 2023)
Fiction, Hardcover, 60 pages
Target Age Group: Picture Book
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Illustrator Honor
There Was a Party for Langston
by Jason Reynolds, Illustrated by Jerome Pumphrey and Jarrett Pumphrey
5-time National Bestseller, Juvenile Nonfiction
- A 2024 National Bestselling Book – Juvenile Nonfiction
- A 2023 National Bestselling Book - Juvenile Nonfiction
- 1 Time AALBC.com Bestselling Book!
- Coretta Scott King Award Winning Book 2024
- Caldecott Medal Winner or Honor
Atheneum (Oct 03, 2023)
Nonfiction, Hardcover, 56 pages
Target Age Group: Early Reader
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John Steptoe Award for New Talent
There Goes the Neighborhood
by Jade Adia
List Price: $18.99Disney-Hyperion (Mar 07, 2023)
Fiction, Hardcover, 432 pages
Target Age Group: Middle Grade
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John Steptoe New Talent Illustrator Award
We Could Fly
by Rhiannon Giddens, Illustrated by Briana Mukodiri Uchendu
List Price: $18.99Candlewick Press (MA) (Nov 07, 2023)
Fiction, Hardcover, 40 pages
Target Age Group: Early Reader
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