The Coretta Scott King Award, first awarded in 1970, is given to the African-American author and illustrator who has published "the most distinguished children's book[s]" in the United States in the previous year about any aspect of the African-American experience. The award was created to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his widow, Coretta Scott King.

The first Coretta Scott King Award was given to Martin Luther King, Jr.: Man of Peace by Lillie Patterson. Illustrated by Victor Mays, this biography of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning minister, orator and crusader for equal civil rights was published in 1969 by Garrard Publishing Co. (Now out of print.)

The 2000 Coretta Scott King Award for best author went to Christopher Paul Curtis for BUD, NOT BUDDY, which also won the 2000 Newbery Medal. TIME OF THE DRUMS, illustrated by Brian Pinkney and written by Kim L. Siegelson, is the 2000 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award winner. Published by Little Brown & Co. in 1999, this book for four- to eight-year-olds is a retelling of the Gullah legend of a slave rebellion. Pinkney's swirling colored scratchboard illustrations and the rhythmic text give power to this tale.

Walter Dean Myers has been awarded the Coretta Scott King Award five times, more than any other author. Patricia McKissack has won it three times, twice in collaboration with her husband, Frederick. Jerry Pinkney has won the award as best illustrator four times.

WALTER DEAN MYERS

1980 THE YOUNG LANDLORDS
(Viking)
Ages 9 - 12
The Action Group, a group of teenagers, buys a derelict building in Harlem for $1, which they plan to clean up. Their six tenants, however, give them quite a surprise.

1985 MOTOWN AND DIDI: A LOVE STORY
(Viking Kestrel)
Young adults, ages 14 and up
Didi and Motown live in Harlem. Motown tries to escape the harsh realities of his life with hard work, while Didi escapes it with dreams. Together they dream and work toward a bright future.

1989 FALLEN ANGELS
(Scholastic)
Young adults, ages 16 and up
In this hard-hitting book about the Vietnam war, 17-year-old Richie Perry and his buddies soon learn that they have more to worry about than the Vietcong. (Contains considerable profanity.)

1992 NOW IS YOUR TIME! THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM
(HarperCollins)
Young adults, ages 12-16
Myers traces the history of African-Americans from the capturing of Africans in the 1600s to the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. He interweaves the stories of heroes and heroines, and stories from his own family into this powerful narrative.

1997 SLAM!
(Scholastic Press)
Young adults, ages 14 and up
Greg "Slam" Harris, 17 years old, may be in total control on the court, but his life off the court is a mess. He doesn't fit in at his new school, his grades are slipping, his grandmother is in the hospital, and he suspects that his best friend is dealing drugs.

PATRICIA MCKISSACK

1993 THE DARK-THIRTY: SOUTHERN TALES OF THE SUPERNATURAL
Brian Pinkney, illustrator (Knopf)
Ages 9-12
Brian Pinkney's black-and-white scratchboard illustrations intensify the horror of these 10 spine-tingling tales. They range from ghost stories to eerie narratives depicting racism, haunting and vengeance.

PATRICIA AND FREDERICK MCKISSACK

1995 CHRISTMAS IN THE BIG HOUSE, CHRISTMAS IN THE QUARTERS
John Thompson, illustrator (Scholastic)
Ages 9 - 12
Using dramatic, full-color illustrations, this book describes Christmas on a Virginia plantation in 1859, contrasting the preparations and celebrations in the plantation owner's house with those in the slave quarters. It includes recipes, songs and poems of the period.

JERRY PINKNEY

1986 THE PATCHWORK QUILT
Text by Valerie Flournoy
(Dial Books for Young Readers)
Ages 4 - 8
Tanya is enchanted by the quilt that her grandmother is fashioning from scraps of the family's old clothes. When her grandmother becomes sick on Christmas morning, Tanya decides to finish the quilt herself.

1987 HALF A MOON AND ONE WHOLE STAR
Text by Crescent Dragonwing (Macmillan)
Ages 4 - 8
As Susan is falling asleep, she experiences the wonderful sights and sounds of the summer night.

1989 MIRANDY AND BROTHER WIND
Text by Patricia McKissack (Knopf)
Ages 4 - 8
Pinkney's rich watercolors make Mirandy, a young African-American girl who hopes to win a prize at the cake walk, come to life. Also 1989 Caldecott Honor Book.

1997 MINTY: A STORY OF YOUNG HARRIET TUBMAN
Text by Alan Schroeder
(Dial Books for Young Readers)
Ages 4 - 8
This fictionalized account of Harriet Tubman's life as a child clearly depicts her strong will and desire for freedom. Pinkney's watercolors enhance this story by providing detail and depth.