On January 10, 2011, the winners of the Coretta Scott King Book Awards were announced at the Midwinter Meeting of the American Library Association (ALA). According to the ALA, "The Coretta Scott King Book Awards are presented annually by the Coretta Scott King Book Awards Committee of the ALA’s Ethnic and Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table (EMIERT) to encourage the artistic expression of the African American experience via literature and the graphic arts.” (Source of all quotations in this article: ALA 1/10/11 press release)

The 2011 Coretta Scott King Author Award

Rita Williams-Garcia is the winner of the 2011 Coretta Scott King Author Award for One Crazy Summer. Read Jean Hatfield's review of One Crazy Summer. (Amistad, an imprint of HarperCollins, 2010. ISBN: 9780060760885) .
“One Crazy Summer...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.

"Rita Williams-Garcia is the author of several award-winning books for young people, including Like Sisters on the Homefront, a Coretta Scott King Honor Book. She lives in Jamaica, N.Y. and is on the faculty at the Vermont College of Fine Arts in the Writing for Children and Young Adults Program.

“'The winning title for text was selected because it is thought-provoking and features complex, well developed characters,' said Jonda C.

McNair, award jury chair."

The 2011 Coretta Scott King Author Honor Books

• Three 2011 Coretta Scott King Author Honor Books were selected:
• Lockdown by Walter Dean Myers (Amistad, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2010. ISBN: 9780061214820) .
• Ninth Ward by Jewell Parker Rhodes (Little, Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc., 2010. ISBN: 9780316043076) .
• Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty by G. Neri, illustrated by Randy DuBurke (Lee & Low Books, Inc., 2010. ISBN: 9781584302674) .

The 2011 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award

Bryan Collier is the winner of the 2011 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award for Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave, which was written by Laban Carrick Hill. (Little, Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc., 2010. ISBN: 9780316107310) .
"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 Dave’s remarkable pots provided inspiration and hope to those who had none.

“'Bryan Collier has crafted a stunning visual tribute to the life of an unsung American artist,' said McNair.

"Bryan Collier is the illustrator of more than twenty-five picture books, including Coretta Scott King Award Winner Rosa, and Coretta Scott King Honor Book Martin’s Big Words (both also Caldecott Honor Books). He lives in Harlem, where he directs mural programs for children throughout New York City."

The 2011 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Book

• One 2011 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Book was selected:
• Jimi: Sounds Like a Rainbow: A Story of the Young Jimi Hendrix, illustrated by Javaka Steptoe, written by Gary Golio (Clarion Books, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 2010. ISBN: 9780618852796). .

The 2011 Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award

This award is not an annual award but is instead given on an occasional basis, as new talent is identified; "...the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award affirms new talent and offers visibility to excellence in writing and/or illustrations at the beginning of a career as a published children’s book creator."

• There are two 2011 Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award winners:
• Victoria Bond and T. R. Simon, authors of Zora and Me (Candlewick Press, 2010. ISBN: 9780763643003) .
  "Zora and Me is a fictionalized account of one childhood summer of the legendary author and folklorist Zora Neale Hurston. Young Zora’s storytelling talents are on display as she and her friends cope with racial tensions, a mysterious death and a rumored half-man, half-alligator in small-town Florida."
  
• Sonia Lynn Sadler, illustrator of Seeds of Change, which was written by Jen Cullerton Johnson (Lee & Low Books, Inc., 2010. ISBN: 9781600603679) .
  Seeds of Change is an inspiring biography of Wangari Maathai (known as 'Mama Miti'), the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize winner whose motto 'Plant a tree' changed the face of Kenya. Her deceptively simple words motivated the rest of the world to be more conscious of the environment. .
  

There is quite a range in terms of age level and content in these books, which can be enjoyed at home or in the classroom.