In addition to the 2009 Coretta Scott King Book Author Award winner and the 2009 Coretta Scott King Book Illustrator Award winner, a total of six books were designated 2009 Honor Books. The winner of the 2009 John Steptoe New Talent Award was also announced. The Coretta Scott King Book Awards for African American authors and illustrators of outstanding books related to teh African American experience.

The 2009 Coretta Scott King Author Award

Artist Kadir Nelson received the 2009 Coretta Scott King Author Award for We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball, the first book he both wrote and illustrated.

• “Kadir Nelson’s remarkable text debut, full of memory and detail, recalls the life and times of the players, managers and owners of the Negro Leagues. Nelson’s evocative third-person narrative informs today’s readers of the issues which African American baseball players faced prior to the 1950s,” said Award Jury Chair Carole McCollough. (ALA media release, 1/26/09)

(Jump at the Sun/Hyperion Books for Children, an imprint of Disney Book Group, 2008. ISBN: 9780786808328) .

The 2009 Coretta Scott King Author Honor Books

• Hope Anita Smith for Keeping the Night Watch (Henry Holt and Company, 2008. ISBN: 9780805072020) .
• Joyce Carol Thomas for The Blacker the Berry (Amistad, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2008. ISBN: 9780060253752) .
• Carole Boston Weatherford for Becoming Billie Holiday (Wordsong, an imprint of Boyds Mills Press, Inc, 2008. ISBN: 9781590785072) .

The 2009 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award

Floyd Cooper received the 2009 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award for his illustrations for The Blacker the Berry by Joyce Carol Thomas.

• “Cooper’s soft realistic style complements Joyce Carol Thomas’ celebration of the range of skin color in the African American community. Each child’s individuality is beautifully and respectfully shown in rich skin tones ranging from deep brown to raspberry black to cranberry red. Cooper’s self-assured depictions are a gift to all children,” said [Award Jury Chair Carole] McCollough.. (ALA media release, 1/26/09)

(Amistad, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2008. ISBN: 9780060253752) .

The 2009 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Books

• Kadir Nelson for We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball (Jump at the Sun/Hyperion Books for Children, an imprint of Disney Book Group, 2008. ISBN: 9780786808328) .
• Jerry Pinkney for The Moon Over Star (Dial Books for Young Readers, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group, 2008. ISBN: 9780803731073) .
• Sean Qualls Before John Was a Jazz Giant (Henry Holt and Company, 2008. ISBN: 9780805079944) .

The 2009 Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award – Illustrator

Artist Shadra Strickland received 2009 John Steptoe New Talent Award for her illustrations for Bird by Zetta Elliott.

• “Using a range of media, from pencil and charcoal to watercolor and gouache, Strickland’s debut artwork depicts a difficult time in the life of a young boy nicknamed Bird. Using his burgeoning gift as an artist, Bird finds solace in his family’s love. Two styles of art, the illustrator’s nuanced mixed media and the main character’s pencil sketches, soar together as one.” (ALA media release, 1/26/09)

. (Lee & Low Books, 2008. ISBN: 9781600602412)
Happily, quite a number of Coretta Scott King Book Awards were given in 2009, and I hope you will take a closer look at some of them at your public library or local bookstore.