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Coretta Scott King Awards
January 15, 2001 was the big day and hundreds were gathered to hear the book award announcements by the American Library Association. Coincidentally, it was also Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Jacqueline Woodson, who wrote Miracle's Boys, was the winning author and Andrea Davis Pinkney received an honor for Let It Shine! Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters. The award for illustration went to Bryan Collier for his book Uptown. There were three honor books and Collier was also the illustrator of one of them. All the books are reviewed below.
Author Award Winner
 Miracle's Boys
Jacqueline Woodson
Woodson's novels beautifully depict sensitive, topical issues. In her newest book, she introduces readers to three troubled brothers, struggling to cope with their mother's tragic death. Lafayette, the thirteen-year-old narrator, feels responsible for his mother's death and the impact it has had on his older brothers. His oldest brother, Ty'ree, turned down a college scholarship to work full-time to support the brothers so that social services will not separate the family. Charlie, once a loving, caring boy, has turned into a cold, hostile stranger, recently returned from a juvenile correctional facility. Lafayette struggles to handle his guilt and his increasing anger over Charlie's unpredictable behavior. The book lyrically relays Lafayette's evolving feelings, leading the reader to the surprising end. 2000, Putnam, Ages 11 up, $15.99. Reviewer: Rebecca Joseph
Honor Book
Let it Shine! Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters
Andrea Davis Pinkney
Illustrated by Stephen Alcorn
If the subject of women or of freedom fighters is an area of interest, this book is a "must purchase". Pinkney selects ten freedom fighters from Sojourner Truth to Shirley Chisolm and weaves their tales full of character and brimming with facts. Laced with Stephen Alcorn's powerful portraits, these tales
are unforgettable. A read aloud for younger audiences or a reference for upper elementary and beyond, this book is for all ages. Included is a bibliography for further reading. 2000, Harcourt, Ages 10 up, $20.00.
Reviewer: Marianne Baker
Illustrator Award Winner
Uptown
Bryan Collier
Harlem is only a name to most American youngsters, but Collier makes it a real place as he describes what to see and hear, smell, taste and feel, in a tour around the town. The words are sparse but poetic, evocative of the many aspects of the area that a young boy experiences, but the pages are crowded with images, mostly assembled collages, with some paintings of people. The scenes are intricately conceived: rows of brownstone houses like chocolate bars, weekend shopping as a jumble of cars, people, fabric shapes, the Apollo Theater, a basketball game, and little sisters walking to church. The brief text becomes part of the overall page design, often set in color with meandering lines. In a sense, the reader is given pieces of a puzzle to assemble in the imagination for a picture of what the boy calls home. 2000, Henry Holt, Ages 6 to 9, $15.95. Reviewers: Ken and Sylvia Marantz
Honor Books
 Freedom River
Doreen Rappaport
Pictures by Bryan Collier
One dramatically told, suspense-filled incident based on fact brings the history of the Underground Railroad into focus for young readers. Collier's visual telling is equally dramatic, contributing a powerful emotional impact. He combines cut and torn patterned papers to create the settings in full-page scenes energized by the construction and combination. He includes vignettes of those he calls "protectors," spiritual ancestors painted with symbolic wavy lines on their faces to symbolize the river, the "key to freedom." The period map on the endpapers shows us the river, while notes fill in both the historic background and the motivations of author and illustrator. 2000, Jump at the Sun/Hyperion, Ages 5 to 9, $14.99. Reviewers: Ken and Sylvia Marantz
Virgie Goes to School with Us Boys
Elizabeth Fitzgerald Howard
Illustrated by E. B. Lewis
Virgie's brothers all go to school and she desperately wants to go with them. The story is set during Reconstruction when blacks were free, but there were few resources to help them get an education and integrate into society. Virgie finally prevails and her parents let her go to a Quaker school seven miles away. As her father says "All free people need learning-Old folks, young folks…small girls too." Virgie proves her mettle, and the arduous trek and sheer joy on her face once at the school are beautifully captured in E. B. Lewis' watercolors. 2000, Simon & Schuster, Ages 6 to 8, $16.00. Reviewer: Marilyn Courtot
 Only Passing Through: The Story of Sojourner Truth
Anne Rockwell
Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie
Rockwell details the remarkable life of this inspirational speaker for the rights of slaves, ex-slaves, and women, in a clear and compelling fashion. Christie's visual story is told in full-page paintings opposite the pages of lengthy text. The illustrations are not detailed or naturalistic, but potently expressionistic, with colors applied almost crudely to create sculpturesque heads. The compositions emphasize Sojourner's strength of character and unblinking resolve to speak out. 2000, Knopf, Ages 8 to 11, $16.95. Reviewers: Ken and Sylvia Marantz
Coretta Scott King Award-2001
Coretta Scott King Award-2002
Coretta Scott King Award-2003
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Added 1/25/01
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