Children's & Young Adult Collection

American Indian Youth Literature Awards - Awarded biennially to books written by Native Americans and Indigenous peoples of North America

Asian / Pacific American Award for Literature - Awarded to books by Asian/Pacific American authors that highlight Asian/Pacific American cultures and experiences

Coretta Scott King Awards - Awarded to books highlighting the African American experience

Pura Belpré Awards - Awarded the best books portraying, affirming, and celebrating the Latino cultural experiences

South Asia Book Award - Awarded to books that portray cultures, histories, and contemporary issues of South Asia or South Asians living abroad

Tomas Rivera Mexican American Children's Book Award - Awarded to the best book that depicts the Mexican American experience

Young Adult

2025 - Everything We Never Had by Randy Ribay

2024 - I'd Rather Burn Than Bloom by Shannon C.F. Rogers

2023 - Himawari House by Harmony Becker

2022 - Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo

2021 - This Light Between Us by Andrew Fukuda

2020 - They Called Us Enemy by George Takei, Justin Eisinger, & Steven Scott

Children's

2025 - Continental Drifter by Kathy MacLeod

2024 - Ruby Lost and Found by Christina Lu

2023 - Maizy Chen's Last Change by Lisa Yee

2022 - Amina's Song by Hena Khan

2021 - When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller

2020 - Stargazing by Jen Wang

Picture Book

2025 - Aloha Everything by Kaylin Melia George & Mae Waite

2024 - The Truth About Dragons by Julie Leung & Hanna Cha

2023 - From the Tops of the Trees by Kao Kalia Yang & Rachel Wada

2022 - Watercress by Andrea Wang & Jason Chin

2021 - Paper Son: the inspiring story of Tyrus Wong, immigrant and artist by Julie Leung & Chris Sasaki

2020 - Queen of Physics: how Wu Chien Shiung helped unlock the secrets of the atom

Coretta Scott King Author

2025 - Twenty-Four Seconds From Now... by Jason Reynolds

2024 - Nigeria Jones by Ibi Zoboi

2023 - Freewater by Amina Luqman-Dawson

2022 - Unspeakable: the Tulsa Race Massacre by Carole Boston Weatherford

2021 - Before the Ever After by Jacqueline Woodson

2020 - New Kid by Jerry Craft

Coretta Scott King Illustrator

2025 - My Daddy Is a Cowboy by Stephanie Seales, illustrated by C.G. Esperanza

2024 - An American Story by Kwame Alexander, illustrated by Dare Coulter

2023 - Standing in the Need of Prayer : a modern retelling of the classic spiritual by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Frank Morrison

2022 - Unspeakable: the Tulsa Race Massacre by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Floyd Cooper

2021 - R-E-S-P-E-C-T: Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Frank Morrison

2020 - The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander, illustrated by Kadir Nelson

John Steptoe Award for New Talent - Author

2025 - Kwame Crashes the Underworld by Craig Kofi Farmer

2024 - There Goes the Neighborhood by Jade Adia

2023 - We Deserve Monuments by Jas Hammonds

2022 - Me (Moth) by Amber McBride

2021 - Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

2020 - Genesis Begins Again by Alicia D. Williams

John Steptoe Award for New Talent - Illustrator

2025 - Jimmy's Rhythm & Blues : the extraordinary life of James Baldwin by Michelle Meadows, illustrated by Jamiel Law

2024 - We Could Fly by Rhiannon Giddens, illustrated by Briana Mukodiri Uchendu

2023 - Choosing Brave: How Mamie Till-Mobley and Emmitt Till sparked the Civil Rights Movement by Angela Jay, illustrated by Janelle Washington

2022 - The Me I Choose to Be by Regis Bethencourt, illustrated by Regis Bethencourt

2021 - none awarded

2020 - What Is Given From the Heart by Patricia C. McKissack, illustrated by April Harrison

Young Adult Narrative

2024  - Saints of the Household by Ari Tison

2023 - Burn Down, Rise Up by Vincent Tirado

2022 - How Moon Fuentez Fell in Love With the Universe by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland

2021 - Furia by Yamile Saied Méndez

Children's Narrative

2024 - Mexikid: a graphic memoir by Pedro Martín

2023 - Frizzy by Claribel A. Ortega, illustrated by Rose Bousamra

2022 - The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera

2021 - Efrén divided by Ernesto Cisneros

Youth Illustrator

2024 - Mexikid : a graphic memoir by Pedro Martín, illustrated by Pedro Martín

2023 - Where Wonder Grows by Xelena González, illustrated by Adriana M. Garciaú2022 - ¡Vamos! Let's Cross the Bridge by Raúl Gonzalez, illustrated by Raúl Gonzalez

2021 - ¡Vamos! Let's Go Eat! by Raúl Gonzalez, illustrated by Raúl Gonzalez

Narrative

2020 - Sal and Gabi Break the Universe by Carlos Hernandez

Illustration

2020 - Dancing Hands: how Teresa Carreño played the piano for President Lincoln by Margarita Engle, illustrated by Rafael López

Older Readers

2025 - The Salt Thief by Neal Bascomb

2024 - I Kick and I Fly by Ruchira Gupta

2023 - American Fever by Dur e Aziz Amna

2022 - The Marvelous Mirza Girls by Sheba Karim

2021 - none awarded

2020 - Forward Me Back to You by Mitali Perkins

Middle Grade

2025 - The Partition Project by Saadia Faruqi

2024 - Ajay and the Mumbai Sun by Varsha Shah

2023 - Thirst by Varsha Bajaj, illustrated by Chaaya Prabhat

2022 - Born Behind Bars by Padma Venkatraman

2021 - Crossing the Farak River by Michelle Aung Thin

2020 - The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman

Young Readers

2025 - The Spice Box by Meera Sriram, illustrated by Sandhya Prabhat

2024 - The Carpet: an Afghan family story by Dezh Azaad, illustrated by Nan Cao

2023 - The Moon From Dehradun: a story of partition by Shriin Shamsi, illustrated by Tarun Lakshminarayanan

2022 - Dancing in Thatha's Footsteps by Srividhya Venkat, illustrated by Kavita Ramchandran

2021 - A Gift for Amma: market day in India by Meera Sriram

2020 - Priya Drams of Marigolds and Masala by Meenal Patel, illustrated by Meenal Patel

2025 - Ultraviolet by Aida Salazar

2025 - Desert Song by Beatriz Gutierrez Hernandez & Laekan Zea Kemp

2024 - Mexikid: a graphic memoir by Pedro Martín

2024 - Spanish is the language of my family/El Español es la Lengua de Mi Familia by Michael Genhart & John Parra

2024 - Warrior girl by Carmen Tafolla

2023 - A Seed in the Sun by Aida Salazar

2023 - Tumble by Celia Perez

2022 - Bright Star by Yuyi Morales

2022 - Indivisible by Daniel Aleman

2022 - My Two Border Towns by David Bowles, illustrated by Erika Meza

2021 - Feathered Serpent and the Five Suns: a Mesoamerican creation myth by Duncan Tonatiuh

2021 - The Spirit of Chicano Park / El Espíritu del Parque Chicano by Beatrice Zamora, illustrated by Maira Meza

2020 - My papi has a motorcycle / Mi Papi Tiene una Moto by Isabel Quintero, illustrated by Zeke Peña

2019 - Dreamers by Yuyi Morales

2019 - They Call Me Güero, a Border Kid's Poems by David Bowles