The American Library Association announced its annual children's book awards Monday. While the Caldecott and Newbery medals are the best known of these honors, this year, one of the lesser-known awards might attract the most attention.
That's because the Coretta Scott King Award for best African-American author went to Rep. John Lewis and his collaborator Andrew Aydin for March: Book Three, the third installment in the civil rights leader's graphic memoir.
Lewis' book also won three other awards from the library association — the first time an author has won that many awards in a single year. In November, March won a National Book Award.
But more recently, it was in the news after Lewis questioned the legitimacy of President Trump's election. Trump later tweeted that Lewis is "all talk — no action." That provoked a passionate defense of the congressman from Georgia who has worked his entire life for civil rights — and helped push his book to the top of Amazon's best-seller list.
A Coretta Scott King Award is also given to the best African-American illustrator, and this year's went to Javaka Steptoe for Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. Steptoe also won the prestigious Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book. His book tells the story of Basquiat who began his career as a graffiti artist, rose to prominence in the 1980s and died at the age of 27 from a drug overdose.
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