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2004 Coretta Scott King Awards
The Coretta Scott King Award is presented annually by the Coretta Scott King Task Force of the American Library Association's Social Responsibilities Round Table. Recipients are authors and illustrators of African descent whose distinguished books promote an understanding and appreciation of the "American Dream."
The Award commemorates the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and honors his widow, Coretta Scott King, for her courage and determination in continuing the work for peace and world brotherhood.
Coretta Scott King Award books are chosen by a seven-member national award jury. The CSK Award Jury also chooses the winners of the John Steptoe Award for New Talent Award winners. These books affirm new talent and offer visibility to excellence in writing or illustration at the beginning of a career as a published book creator.
This year's winners are:
2004 Coretta Scott King Author Winner
 THE FIRST PART LAST
by Angela Johnson
Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 0689849222
Ages 12-up
144 pages
June 2003
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Bobby is a typical urban teenage boy: impulsive, eager and restless. On his sixteenth birthday he receives news from his girlfriend Nia that is sure to change his life forever --- she is pregnant with his baby. Suddenly school, house parties and hanging out with friends no longer seem important. Instead, Bobby spends much of his time accompanying Nia to the obstetrician and visiting with a social worker who believes that the only way for Nia and Bobby to lead a normal life is to put their baby up for adoption.
2004 Coretta Scott King Author Honors
 THE BATTLE OF JERICHO
by Sharon Draper
Atheneum
ISBN: 0689842325
Ages 12-up
304 pages
June 2003
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When Jericho is invited to pledge for the Warriors of Distinction, he's on cloud nine. But initiation week is an excruciating experience, and Jericho is forced to make choices he's not entirely comfortable with. Meanwhile, the sole female pledge in the group will do anything to show that she can handle the pressure. But is she being pushed too far? Should Jericho and his friends risk losing their places in the pledging process to stand up for her?
*****
 LOCOMOTION
by Jacqueline Woodson
Putnam
ISBN: 0399231153
Ages 9-12
128 pages
January 2003
Lonnie's parents died in a fire when he was only seven years old. Now he's eleven and still misses them terribly. He also misses his little sister, Lili, who had to be put into a separate foster home. But Lonnie hasn't given up. His foster mother, Miss Edna, is growing on him. She has already raised two sons and she seems to know what makes them tick. And his teacher, Ms. Marcus, is showing him ways to put his jumbled feelings on paper.
*****
 DAYS OF JUBILEE: The End of Slavery in the United States
by Patricia McKissack and Fredrick McKissack
illustrated by Leo Dillon
Scholastic
ISBN: 059010764X
Ages 8-12
144 pages
February 2003
One of the most important events in our history was the end of slavery in the United States. But there wasn't one particular day when all the slaves were freed (some were freed for their service during the Revolutionary War, others were freed because of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution). So, whenever slaves learned of their freedom, that day became their Day of Jubilee. Patricia and Frederick McKissack use slave narratives, letters and diaries to document the days, weeks and years leading to the slaves' freedom. Young readers everywhere now have an opportunity to celebrate these Days of Jubilee.
2004 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Winner
 BEAUTIFUL BLACKBIRD
by Ashley Bryan
Atheneum
ISBN: 0689847319
Ages 4-8
40 pages
January 2003
Long ago, Blackbird was voted the most beautiful bird in the forest. The other birds, who were colored red, yellow, blue and green, were so envious that they begged Blackbird to paint their feathers with a touch of black so they could be beautiful too. Although Blackbird warns them that true beauty comes from within, the other birds persist and soon each is given a ring of black around their neck or a dot of black on their wings --- markings that detail birds to this very day.
2004 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honors
 ALMOST TO FREEDOM
illustrated by Colin Bootman
written by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson
Carolrhoda Books
ISBN: 157505342X
Ages 4-8
40 pages
September 2003
Sally, a tattered rag doll, tells the story of a young girl and her parents as they escape from slavery and start the dangerous journey along the Underground Railroad to a place called Freedom. Lindy and Sally are best friends, and so Sally accompanies Lindy and her mom when they run away one night. At their first stop, Sally and Lindy are hiding in the basement when slave catchers approach. Lindy and her parents must escape quickly, and in the rush Sally is left behind. Will she be found?
*****
 THUNDER ROSE
illustrated by Kadir Nelson
written by Jerdine Nolen
Silver Whistle/Harcourt
ISBN: 0152164723
Ages 5-8
32 pages
September 2003
On a dark night of howling rain and booming thunder, Jackson and Millicent MacGruder welcome a new baby girl into their lives. Imagine their surprise when she sits up, thanks them for bringing her into the world, and informs them that she's quite partial to the name Rose. So begins the story of Thunder Rose, who drinks her milk straight from the cow and prefers the company of her bull, Tater, to any kitten or puppy. Rose is capturing outlaws by the time she's a teenager, but she always has time to find joy in a song.
2004 Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Author Talent Award
 THE WAY A DOOR CLOSES
by Hope Anita Smith
illustrated by Shane Evans
Henry Holt & Company
ISBN: 080506477X
Ages 9-12
64 pages
May 2003
Thirteen-year-old CJ knows too much --- about losing his father, about his family's pain, and especially about what it means to hold things together when times are the toughest. In this beautifully written and powerfully moving novel in poems, Hope Anita Smith tells the story of a young man's struggle to accept a father who has walked out on his family.
2004 Steptoe New Illustrator Talent Award
 MY FAMILY PLAYS MUSIC
by Judy Cox
illustrated by Elbrite Brown
Holiday House
ISBN: 0823415910
Ages 4-8
32 pages
September 2003
The music of bongos, cowbells, maracas, and even pots and pans fills the air. In this introduction to music, a spunky girl finds the perfect percussion instrument to play along with each member of her musical family.
-- Written by Tom Donadio
© Copyright 2004, Teenreads.com. All rights reserved.
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