By Raymond Garcia
American Library Association
Dr. Jewell Parker Rhodes, author of “Will’s Race for Home,” and R. Gregory Christie, illustrator of “The Library in the Woods,” are the winners of the 2026 Coretta Scott King Book Awards honoring African-American authors and illustrators of outstanding books for children and young adults.
Arriel Vinson, author of “Under the Neon Lights,” is the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award winner.
The awards were announced Feb. 3 during the American Library Association’s (ALA) Youth Media Awards announcements in Chicago.
The Coretta Scott King Book Awards are presented annually by the Coretta Scott King Book Awards Jury of the ALA’s Coretta Scott King Book Awards Round Table (CSKBART). The awards encourage the artistic expression of the African-American experience via literature and the graphic arts; promote an understanding and appreciation of the Black culture and experience; and commemorate the life and legacy of Coretta Scott King for her courage and determination in supporting the work of her husband, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., for peace and world brotherhood.
“Will’s Race for Home” was published by Little, Brown and Company, Hachette Book Group Inc.
“Will’s Race for Home” is a thrilling adventure story about a son and his father who journey from Texas to claim free land during the Oklahoma Land Rush. But the journey isn’t easy—the terrain is rough, the bandits are brutal and every interaction carries a heavy undercurrent of danger.
“Dr. Jewell Parker Rhodes creates a captivating story of the determination and resilience of African American exodusters who sought the bright promise of freedom in the West,” said Coretta Scott King Book Awards Jury Chair Dr. Sujin Huggins.
Dr. Jewell Parker Rhodes is a New York Times bestselling and award-winning educator and writer for both youth and adults. She is the Virginia G. Piper Endowed Chair at Arizona State University and the Founding Director of the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing.
“The Library in the Woods,” was published by Carolrhoda Books, an imprint of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc.
In segregated North Carolina of the 1950s, Junior moves with his family to Roxboro after a storm devastates his parents’ farm. While adjusting to life in town, new friends take him to a log cabin that houses a secret library for Black residents, inspiring a sense of possibility and community.
“R. Gregory Christie’s vibrant acrylic paintings celebrate Black literacy and the beauty of reading at a time when doing so was an act of resistance,” said Huggins.
R. Gregory Christie is an award-winning children’s book illustrator and lecturer with a long track record of creating inspiring art. He has been a guest speaker at conferences and libraries and teaches after school art programs all over the world. He lives in Georgia.
The Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award
The Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award affirms new talent and offers visibility for excellence in writing and/or illustration at the beginning of a career as a published African American creator of children’s books.
This year’s Steptoe author award goes to Arriel Vinson, author of “Under the Neon Lights,” published by G.P. Putnam’s Sons, an imprint of Penguin Random House.
“Arriel Vinson’s debut novel-in-verse eloquently conveys the cherished moments of young love and community solidarity rooted in roller skating culture,” Huggins said.
Three King Author Honor Books were selected:
“The Incredibly Human Henson Blayze,” by Derrick Barnes, published by Viking, an imprint of Penguin Random House.
“The Library in the Woods,” by Calvin Alexander Ramsey illustrated by R. Gregory Christie and published by Carolrhoda Books, an imprint of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc.
“Split the Sky,” by Marie Arnold, published by Little, Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group Inc.
Two King Illustrator Honor Books were selected:
“André: André Leon Talley–A Fabulously Fashionable Fairy Tale,” illustrated by Lamont O’Neal, written by Carole Boston Weatherford and Rob Sanders and published by Henry Holt and Company, an imprint of Macmillan Publishing Group.
“City Summer, Country Summer,” illustrated by Alexis Franklin, written by Kiese Laymon and published by Kokila, an imprint of Penguin Random House.
Members of the 2026 Coretta Scott King Book Awards Jury are: Chair Dr. Sujin Huggins, Dominican University, River Forest, Ill.; Yolanda Foster Bolden, Forsyth County Public Library, Winston-Salem, N.C.; Ali Jamal Boyd, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Warrensville Heights, Ohio; Angela Durham, Oak Pointe Elementary School, Irmo, S.C.; Dr. Emma K. McNamara, Washington, D.C.; Kristen M. Schmidt, Cleveland Public Library, Cleveland, Ohio; and Christina Vortia, Waldorf, Md.
About the American Library Association
The American Library Association is the largest non-partisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to America’s libraries. The ALA mission is to empower and advocate for all libraries and library workers to ensure equitable access to information for all. For 150 years, ALA has provided resources for information professionals to transform their communities through essential programs and services. For more information, visit www.ala.org.
For information on the Coretta Scott King Book Awards and other ALA Youth Media Awards please visit www.ala.org/yma.
This article was originally published by the American Library Association.