Children’s Stories, Art Recognized

Literature enthusiasts have eagerly awaited the announcements of the Caldecott, Newbery and Coretta Scott King awards for America’s outstanding authors and illustrators.

To commemorate Black History Month, several African-American award winners are worthy of mention.

The Caldecott Medal, “given to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book,” goes to Peggy Rathmann for her children’s book, “Officer Buckle and Gloria” (Putnam, $15.95).

Kids ages 3 and up will enjoy this warmly written and brightly illustrated story about Police Officer Buckle and the amusing antics of his police dog Gloria.

The children of Napville find Officer Buckle’s speeches about safety a little tiresome until Gloria accompanies him and demonstrates safety tips in her own way.

Children a bit older will appreciate the first novel by Newbery Honor award-winner Christopher Curtis, “The Watsons Go To Birmingham-1963” (Delacorte Press, $14.95).

The escapades of a close-knit black family of the ‘60s are brought to life through the eyes of 10-year-old Kenny Watson. Life in Flint, Mich., is full of the usual humorous pranks, schoolyard mishaps and candid talks with Dad.

Then Momma and Dad decide to move to a new home in Alabama. There, the family encounters firsthand the ugliness of Southern discrimination.

Humor, tragedy and hope are sensitively woven through the story to provide teens and preteens an understanding of the civil rights movement and events which preceded it in the South.

In the epilogue, Curtis gives this powerful fictional story even more poignancy when he ties it to historical events of this pivotal point in American history.

Don’t miss another Newbery Honor winner, “Yolonda’s Genius” by Carol Fenner (McElderry Books, $17). Ages 10 and up will admire fifth-grade heroine Yolonda as she protects her little brother in a new town and promotes his hopes and dreams.

The Coretta Scott King awards are given for the “black author and illustrator whose works encourage and promote world unity and peace, and serve as an inspiration to young people in the achievement of their goals.”

Virginia Hamilton is the top winner for “Her Stories: African American Folktales” (Blue Sky Press, $19.95), a collection of 19 stories which focus on the “magical lore and wondrous imaginings” of African-American women.

The book combines African-American fairy tales like “Catskinella” with folk legends such as “Annie Christmas” and true autobiographies of black women in history from slave times to the present, written for children of all ages.

The Coretta Scott King Award for best illustrator goes to Tom Feelings for his picture book, “The Middle Passage: White Ships, Black Cargo” (Dial Books, $45). Middle Passage was the name given to one of the most tragic ordeals in history: the cruel and terrifying journey of enslaved Africans across the Atlantic Ocean.

Artist Tom Feelings tells the complete story of this diaspora in 64 narrative paintings, bringing us into the lives of millions of African men, women and children as a tribute to the survival of the human spirit.

Feelings’ drawings are for a mature audience as they are intensely personal and often painful, conveying history in an acute way. These awardwinning books are available at The Children’s Corner Bookshop and Auntie’s Bookstore in Spokane.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Drawing

MEMO: The Family Track is a weekly column of notes and information for families. Send items to Lynn Gibson, Features Department, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210-1615, or fax (509) 459-5098.