Coretta Scott King Book Awards 2011
Author Award Winner
One Crazy Summer, written by Rita Williams-Garcia and published by Amistad, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, tells the story of 11-year-old Delphine and her two younger sisters as they travel to Oakland, Calif. in 1968 to face the emotional challenge of reaching out to a distant mother and learn about a different side of the Civil Rights Movement. Themes of friendship, family and identity intertwine with broader social issues in this compelling historical novel.
Illustrator Award Winner
Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave, written by Laban Carrick Hill and published by Little, Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc. Dave, a slave in 19th century South Carolina, demonstrated extraordinary talent and skill to achieve creative success. At a time when it was illegal for slaves to read and write, the eloquent poetry on Daves remarkable pots provided inspiration and hope to those who had none.
Author Honor Books
Lockdown by Walter Dean Myers, published by Amistad, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers;
Ninth Ward by Jewell Parker Rhodes, published by Little, Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.; and
Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty by G. Neri, illustrated by Randy DuBurke and published by Lee & Low Books, Inc.
Illustrator Honor Book
Jimi: Sounds Like a Rainbow: A Story of the Young Jimi Hendrix, illustrated by Javaka Steptoe, written by Gary Golio and published by Clarion Books, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
The Caldecott Medal
2011 Medal Winner
The 2011 Caldecott Medal winner is A Sick Day for Amos McGee, illustrated by Erin E. Stead, written by Philip C. Stead. A Neal Porter Book, published by Roaring Brook Press, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishing.
In this tender tale of reciprocity and friendship, zookeeper Amos McGee gets the sniffles and receives a surprise visit from his caring animal friends. Erin Steads delicate woodblock prints and fine pencil work complement Philip Steads understated, spare and humorous text to create a well-paced, gentle and satisfying book, perfect for sharing with friends.
Endearing, expressive characterization in spare illustrations rendered in muted tones distinguish this timeless picture book. Its a great day for Amos McGee! said Caldecott Medal Committee Chair Judy Zuckerman.
2011 Honor Books
Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave, illustrated by Bryan Collier, written by Laban Carrick Hill, published by Little, Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.
Colliers arrestingly beautiful artistic interpretation of Hills poetic text reveals Dave the potters artistic process while also conveying the dignified triumph of his humanity in the face of oppression. Lush, earth-toned, multimedia collages are illuminated in soft, ethereal light that focuses the eye on the subject of each spread.
Interrupting Chicken, written and illustrated by David Ezra Stein, published by Candlewick Press.
Steins hilarious story presents Little Chicken and her long-suffering Papa, who just wants to get through a bedtime story without his daughters metafictive disruptions. Exuberant artwork shifts media and style, taking readers into three fairy tales, culminating in Little Chickens Bedtime for Papa, but truly delivering a story for all.
The Newbery Medal
2011 Medal Winner
The 2011 Newbery Medal winner is Moon over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool, published by Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc.
The town of Manifest is based on Frontenac, Kan., the home of debut author Clare Vanderpools maternal grandparents. Vanderpool was inspired to write about what the idea of home might look like to a girl who had grown up riding the rails. She lives in Wichita with her husband and four children.
Vanderpool illustrates the importance of stories as a way for children to understand the past, inform the present and provide hope for the future, said Newbery Medal Committee Chair Cynthia K. Richey.
2011 Honor Books
Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer L. Holm, published by Random House Children’s Books, a div. of Random House, Inc.
Sassy eleven-year-old Turtle finds her life turned on end when she is sent to live with her aunt in Depression-era Key West. With vivid details, witty dialogue and outrageous escapades, Jennifer Holm successfully explores the meaning of family and home and lost treasures found.
Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preus, published by Amulet Books, an imprint of Abrams.
Shipwrecks, whaling, a search for home and a delightful exploration of cultures create a swashbuckling adventure. This historical novel is based on the true story of Manjiro (later John Mung), the young fisherman believed to be the first Japanese person to visit America, who against all odds, becomes a samurai.
Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Rick Allen, published by Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Welcoming her readers into the wild, enchanted park that is the night, Joyce Sidman has elegantly crafted twelve poems rich in content and varied in format. Companion prose pieces about nocturnal flora and fauna are as tuneful and graceful as the poems. This collection is a feast of sound and spark.
One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia, published by Amistad, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
The voices of sisters Delphine, Vonetta and Fern sing in three-part harmony in this wonderfully nuanced, humorous novel set in 1968 Oakland, Calif. One crazy summer, the three girls find adventure when they are sent to meet their estranged poet-mother Cecile, who prints flyers for the Black Panthers.