2022 Coretta Scott King Picture Book Roundup: Unspeakable, Nina, Soul Food Sunday, and More!

The 2022 Coretta Scott King Award

The results for the 2022 Coretta Scott King Awards are IN! We already reviewed the winner, Unspeakable and one honor (We Wait for the Sun); the other reviews below are new.

For those who are unfamiliar with the Coretta Scott King Awards, these “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 Mrs. 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” (taken from the ALA website).

The awards can be given to picture books, chapter books or even young adult novels; awards are given for author and for illustrator. We are highlighting the picture books below, beginning with Unspeakable, the winner in both author and illustrator categories.

Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Floyd Cooper. Carolrhoda Books, 2021, 32 pages.

Once upon a time, the Tulsa community of Greenwood was the wealthiest black neighborhood in the USA. Though strictly segregated from whites, the residents had fended very well for themselves, patronizing two theaters, a fine hotel, two newspapers, and fifteen doctors. Good schools, strong families, and thriving churches had created prosperity but also stoked white resentment. In May of 1921, an incident involving a white female elevator operator and a black shoeshine man touched off the worst racial battle in American history. At the end of a bloody weekend, almost 300 blacks lay dead and Greenwood was torched.

The shameful incident was ignored until 1996 when Congress ordered a full investigation. It’s a sad story but ends in hope, as black and white mourners gather in Reconciliation Park to pray for peace. Both author and illustrator share personal recollections of grandfathers and other relatives who experienced the massacre directly or suffered other forms of racial violence. The text, with its “once upon a time” refrain, and the evocative illustrations bring fear, anger, and determination to vivid life. Ages 7 and up.

Awards: 2022 Caldecott Honor, 2022 Sibert Honor, 2022 Coretta Scott King Winner for both author and illustrator, 2021 Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor. First reviewed on Redeemed Reader in May, 2021.

Soul Food Sunday by Winsome Bingham and illustrated by C. G. Esperanza. Harry N. Abrams, 2021. 48 pages.

Sunday means it’s time for soul food: greens, meat on the grill, baked macaroni and cheese, and sweet tea (mmmm). It’s more than the food, though: it’s the family gathered around the table in an exuberant time of feasting and fellowship. And this Sunday, a young boy is finally old enough to help. As his grandmother walks him through the various food preparations, she coaches him along and feeds him lots of encouragement.

But the food in this story is nothing to the illustrations. They practically bound off the page in their color and movement. Each person has a unique look, whether it’s a particular hairstyle or a patterned apron (like the grandmother on the front). Interestingly, the faces are all realistic, even as the surroundings are more stylized and over the top. Children will enjoy the bright colors, and anyone who’s gathered for a large family feast will enjoy the food preparation notes (don’t miss the macaroni and cheese recipe at the end!).

Awards: 2022 Coretta Scott King Book Award Illustrator Honor.

Nina: A Story of Nina Simone by Traci N. Todd and illustrated by Christian Robinson. G. P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, 2021. 56 pages.

Her parents named her Eunice Kathleen Waymon, the sixth of eight siblings. She was born with “music on the inside,” an inheritance from her father, a jazz musician. Little Eunice sang before she talked picked up tunes on the family’s upright piano while sitting on her daddy’s lap. Her mama, a gospel preacher, disapproved of jazz but encouraged her little girl’s musical talent. In time, Mama’s white employer Mrs. Miller recognized it too, and arranged piano lessons for Eunice with the town’s finest teacher. Her skills blossomed, but as Eunice grew, so did her awareness that no amount of talent would make up for her color–at least in the eyes of some people.

The text is straightforward and compelling, especially as Eunice (who changed her name so her mother wouldn’t hear of her playing in bars and jazz clubs) becomes more aware of her place in the Civil Rights movement. I (Janie) should have been aware of her but wasn’t; this biography sent me to YouTube to look up Nina Simone Performances. Christian Robinson (who won a Caldecott honor for Last Stop on Market Street) employs his signature mixed-media style of bold colors and textures, including some striking portraits of Nina. Recommended as a personal and accessible introduction to the Civil Rights movement for Black History Month.

Awards: 2022 Coretta Scott King Book Award Illustrator Honor. 2022 Orbis Pictus Award.

We Wait for the Sun by Katie McCabe and illustrated by Raissa Figueroa. Roaring Brook Press, 2021. 40 pages.

“In the hour before dawn we slip out of the house, and the midsummer night is dark and cool.” The little girl and her grandmother feel like the only people on earth, but soon other women join them, all headed for the woods where blackberries grow. In the predawn cool, the berries are so juicy their sweet liquid runs down the girl’s chin and splashes on her overalls. Grandma works in silence until—“Look, Dovey Mae! Over yonder.” The rising sun blazes from pink to gold.

It’s a simple story—more a photo of a memory from Dovey Roundtree, who became a civil-rights activist and attorney in the segregated south. Dovey had an especially close relationship with her grandmother Rachel Bryant Graham, whose firm self-confidence taught the girl to stare down fear and fight for a better day. Their love shines through this beautifully illustrated picture book and the rising sun is an unmistakable symbol of hope.

Awards: 2022 Coretta Scott King Book Award Illustrator Honor. First reviewed on Redeemed Reader in May, 2021.

The People Remember by Ibn Zoboi and illustrated by Loveis Wise. Balzer + Bray, 2021, 64 pages.

Like Unspeakable above, it’s the author who was honored in this picture book (although the illustrations are certainly distinctive). A picture book for older children, this is a poetic ode to Black culture and to Kwanzaa. “The People” in the title are specifically the Black diaspora who trace their roots back to the first enslaved people in the Americas; “the people remember” the various struggles, indignities, and triumphs as they look back on their history.

Beginning with the transatlantic slave trade and progressing up through the recent high profile shootings that led to the Black Lives Matter movement, Zoboi’s text uses the 7 principles of Kwanzaa as her organizing principle. The book itself is an outspoken celebration and affirmation of Black history and culture.

Awards: 2022 Coretta Scott King Book Award Illustrator Honor.

Readers: have you read any of these? Do you agree with the 2022 Coretta Scott King committee? Let us know in the comments!

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