Author Winner
Forged by Fire by Call Number: F D7913f 1997ISBN: 068980699XPublication Date: 1997-01-01When Gerald was a child he was fascinated by fire. But fire is dangerous and powerful, and tragedy strikes. His substance-addicted mother is taken from him. Then he loses the loving generosity of a favorite aunt. A brutal stepfather with a flaming temper and an evil secret makes his life miserable. The one bright light in Gerald's life is his little half sister, Angel, whom he struggles to protect from her father, Jordan Sparks, who abuses her, and from their mother, whose irresponsible behavior forces Gerald to work hard to keep the family together. As a teenager, Gerald finds success as a member of the Hazelwood Tigers basketball team, while Angel develops her talents as a dancer. Trouble still haunts them, however, and Gerald learns, painfully, that young friends can die and old enemies must be faced. In the end he must stand up to his stepfather alone in a blazing confrontation. Sharon M. Draper has interwoven characters and events from her previous novel, "Tears of a Tiger, " in this unflinchingly realistic portrayal of poverty and child abuse. It is an inspiring story of a young man who rises above the tragic circumstances of his life by drawing on the love and strength of family and friends.
Author Honors
Bayard Rustin by
A biography of Bayard Rustin, a skillful organizer behind the scenes of the American civil rights movement whose ideas stongly influenced Martin Luther King, Jr.
Call Number: B R922h 1997ISBN: 0786801689Publication Date: 1996-09-01
I Thought My Soul Would Rise and Fly by
In this latest addition to the Dear America series, Coretta Scott King Honor-winning author Joyce Hansen presents the inspiring story of Patsy, a freed girl who becomes a great teacher.
Call Number: F H198t 1997ISBN: 0590849131Publication Date: 1997-10-01
Illustrator Winner
In Daddy's Arms I Am Tall by Call Number: 811.008 In9 1997ISBN: 1880000318Publication Date: 2000-12-01Illustrated by Javaka Steptoe Twelve poets give testimony to the powerful bond between African American fathers, children and grandchildren in the brilliantly illustrated volume.
Illustrator Honors
Ashley Bryan's ABC of African American Poetry by
Why an alphabet book of African American poets? Simply as a way of presenting the work of many poets, poets who write for adults as well as children, in a form that both children and adults can enjoy. Though this is not an alphabet book in the traditional sense, it is an A to Z look at twenty-five poems and one African American spiritual selected by Ashley Bryan from a wide range of African American poets. His selections are, for the most part, not complete poems, but fragments -- samples that are complete in their own way, and that inspired him to create pictures that capture the essence of the poetry in another form. his marvelous paintings, in tempera and gouache, are his salute to the twenty-five poets whose works are included. Well known for his story-telling, his picture books, his own poetry, and for his lectures on African American poetry, Ashley Bryan here gives readers of all ages a chance to share the joy he has experienced in the work of some of the poets he especially enjoys.
Call Number: 811.54 As35 1997ISBN: 0689812094Publication Date: 1997-08-01
Harlem by
A poem celebrating the people, sights, and sounds of Harlem.
Call Number: 811.54 M992h 1997ISBN: 0590543407Publication Date: 1997-02-01
The Hunterman and the Crocodile by
A West African folktale about the Hunterman who runs afoul of Bamba the Crocodile and is helped by Rabbit.
Call Number: 398.2 D54h 1997ISBN: 0590898280Publication Date: 1997-03-01
