Carter G. Woodson Book Award

The Carter G. Woodson Book Award is an American literary award created in 1973 by the Racism and Social Justice Committee of the National Council for the Social Studies to promote cultural literacy in children and young adults.[1]

First presented in 1974, the award is named for American historian, author, and journalist Carter G. Woodson. Currently awarded at three levels – elementary, middle, and secondary – middle was added in 2001 after the other two divisions began in 1989.[2]

In addition to announcing winners, the award recognizes honor books, referred to from 1980 to 1996 as those having "outstanding merit".[2] An accompanying seal, with a likeness of Woodson, was introduced in 1999 with gold seals applied to winning book covers and silver seals on honor books.[2]

As of 2024, Brent Ashabranner is the only author whose books have received the award three times, as well as the only to have winning books two years in a row. Don Tate, who first had a book win the Woodson award in 2016, illustrated a second title that also (uniquely) won that year.

Award recipients

General winners (1974–1988)
Year Author Title Subject Ref.
1974 Eloise Greenfield Rosa Parks Rosa Parks [3]
1975 Jesse C. Jackson Make a Joyful Noise Unto the Lord: The Life of Mahalia Jackson, Queen of the Gospel Singers Mahalia Jackson [4]
1976 Laurence Yep Dragonwings Chinese Americans [5]
1977 Dorothy Sterling The Trouble They Seen African Americans [6]
1978 Jane Goodsell The Biography of Daniel Inouye Daniel Inouye [7]
1979 Peter Nabokov Native American Testimony: An Anthology of Indian and White Relations Native Americans [8]
1980 Nancy Wood War Cry on a Prayer Feather: Prose and Poetry of the Ute Ute people [9]
1981 Milton Meltzer The Chinese Americans Chinese Americans [10]
1982 Susan Carver and Paula McGuire Coming to North America from Mexico, Cuba and Puerto Rico Immigration to the U.S. [11]
1983 Brent Ashabranner Morning Star, Black Sun Northern Cheyenne tribe [12]
1984 E.B. Fincher Mexico and the United States Mexico–U.S. relations [13]
1985 Brent Ashabranner To Live in Two Worlds: American Indian Youth Today Native Americans [12]
1986 Brent Ashabranner Dark Harvest: Migrant Farmworkers in America Migrant workers [12]
1987 Arlene Hirschfelder Happily May I Walk Native Americans [14]
1988 James Haskins Black Music in America: A History Through Its People African-American music [15]
Secondary level winners (grades 7–12, since 1989)
Year Author Title Subject Ref.
1989 Charles Patterson Marian Anderson Marian Anderson [16]
1990 Rebecca Larsen Paul Robeson Paul Robeson [17]
1991 Mary E. Lyons Sorrow's Kitchen: The Life and Folklore of Zora Neale Hurston Zora Neale Hurston [18]
1992 Jeri Ferris Native American Doctor: The Story of Susan LaFlesche Picotte Susan LaFlesche Picotte [19]
1993 Mildred Pitts Walter Mississippi Challenge African Americans in Mississippi [20]
1994 James Haskins The March on Washington March on Washington [21]
1995 Zak Mettger Till Victory is Won: Black Soldiers in the Civil War African Americans in the Civil War [22]
1996 Ellen Levine A Fence Away from Freedom: Japanese Americans and World War II Internment of Japanese Americans
1997 James Haskins The Harlem Renaissance Harlem Renaissance
1998 Milton Meltzer Langston Hughes Langston Hughes
1999 Rinna Evelyn Wolfe Edmonia Lewis: Wildfire in Marble Edmonia Lewis
2000 Sharon Linnea Princess Ka'iulani: Hope of a Nation, Heart of a People Kaʻiulani
2001 Albert Marrin Tatan'ka Iyota'ke: Sitting Bull and His World Sitting Bull
2002 Barbara C. Cruz Multiethnic Teens and Cultural Identity Multiracial people
2003 Harvey Fireside The "Mississippi Burning" Civil Rights Murder Conspiracy Trial: a Headline Court Case Murders of Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner
2004 James Tackach Early Black Reformers African-American history
2005 Robert H. Mayer (editor) The Civil Rights Act of 1964 Civil Rights Act of 1964
2006 Calvin Craig Miller No Easy Answers: Bayard Rustin and the Civil Rights Movement Bayard Rustin
2007 Joanne Oppenheim Dear Miss Breed: True Stories of the Japanese-American Incarceration During World War II and a Librarian Who Made a Difference Internment of Japanese Americans
2008 Vincent Collin Beach with Anni Beach Don't Throw Away Your Stick Till You Cross the River: The Journey of an Ordinary Man Race and ethnicity in the U.S.
2009 Francisco Jiménez Reaching Out Immigration to the U.S.
2010 Ann Bausum Denied, Detained, Deported: Stories From the Dark Side of American Immigration Immigration to the U.S.
2011 Elaine M. Alphin An Unspeakable Crime: The Prosecution and Persecution of Leo Frank Leo Frank
2012 Larry Dane Brimner Black and White: The Confrontation between Reverend Fred L. Shuttlesworth and Eugene "Bull" Connor Fred Shuttlesworth and Bull Connor
2013 Judith Fradin and Dennis Fradin Stolen into Slavery the True Story of Solomon Northup, Free Black Man Solomon Northup
2014 no award presented
2015 Steve Sheinkin The Port Chicago 50: Disaster, Mutiny, and the Fight for Civil Rights Port Chicago disaster
2016 Winifred Conkling Passenger on the Pearl: The True Story of Emily Edmonson's Flight from Slavery Emily Edmonson
2017 John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell March (Trilogy) Civil rights movement
2018 Larry Dane Brimner Twelve Days in May—Freedom Ride 1961 Freedom Riders
2019 Claire Hartfield A Few Red Drops Chicago race riot of 1919
2020 Ashley Bryan Infinite Hope: A Black Artist's Journey from World War II to Peace African Americans in World War II
2021 Evette Dionne Lifting as We Climb: Black Women's Battle for the Ballot Box Black Suffrage in the U.S.
2022 Sandra Neil Wallace and Rich Wallace Race Against Time Scipio Jones and the Elaine 12
2023 Lawrence Goldstone Days of Infamy: How a Century of Bigotry Led to Japanese American Internment Internment of Japanese Americans
2024 Thien Pham Family Style: Memories of an American from Vietnam Vietnamese Americans
2025 Dan SaSuWeh Jones Stealing Little Moon: The Legacy of the American Indian Boarding Schools American Indian boarding schools and cultural assimilation
Middle level winners (grades 5–8, since 2001)
Year Author Title Subject Ref.
2001 Andrea Davis Pinkney Let it Shine: Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters Abolitionism in the United States, and the Civil rights movement
2002 Alice Hinkel Prince Estabrook: Slave and Soldier Prince Estabrook
2003 Michael L. Cooper Remembering Manzanar: Life in a Japanese Relocation Camp Manzanar
2004 Kimberly Komatsu and Kaleigh Komatsu In America's Shadow Internment of Japanese Americans
2005 Russell Freedman The Voice that Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights Marian Anderson
2006 Bárbara Cruz César Chávez: A Voice for Farmworkers Cesar Chávez
2007 Russell Freedman Freedom Walkers: The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott Montgomery bus boycott
2008 John Fleischman Black and White Airmen: Their True History Racial segregation in the U.S. military
2009 James Haskins and Kathleen Benson with Virginia Schomp Drama of African-American History: The Rise of Jim Crow Jim Crow laws
2010 Phillip Hoose Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice Claudette Colvin
2011 no award presented
2012 Susan Goldman Rubin Music Was It: Young Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein
2013 Ann Bausum Marching to the Mountaintop: How Poverty, Labor Fights, and Civil Rights Set the Stage for Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Final Hours Martin Luther King Jr.
2014 Tonya Bolden Emancipation Proclamation: Lincoln and the Dawn of Liberty Emancipation Proclamation
2015 Teri Kanefield The Girl from the Tar Paper School: Barbara Rose Johns and the Advent of the Civil Rights Movement Barbara Rose Johns
2016 no award presented
2017 no award presented
2018 Laura Atkins and Stan Yogi Fighting for Justice—Fred Korematsu Speaks Up Fred Korematsu
2019 Wendy Ewald America Border Culture Dreamer: The Young Immigrant Experience From A to Z Immigration to the United States
2020 Ashley Bryan Infinite Hope: A Black Artist's Journey from World War II to Peace Racial segregation in the U.S. military, World War II
2021 James Otis Smith Black Heroes of the Wild West Mary Fields, Bass Reeves, and Bob Lemmons
2022 Carole Boston Weatherford Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre Tulsa race massacre
2023 Candacy Taylor Overground Railroad: The Green Book and The Roots of Black Travel in America (The Young Adult Adaptation) The Negro Motorist Green Book
2024 Traci Sorell Contenders: Two Native Baseball Players, One World Series Chief Bender and Chief Meyers
2025 Carole Boston Weatherford The Doll Test: Choosing Equality School segregation and self-esteem
Elementary level winners (grades K–6, since 1989)
Year Author Title Subject Ref.
1989 Jeri Ferris Walking the Road to Freedom Sojourner Truth
1990 Aylette Jenness and Alice Rivers In Two Worlds: A Yup’ik Eskimo Family Yupik peoples
1991 Catherine Scheader Shirley Chisolm Shirley Chisolm
1992 Fay Stanley The Last Princess: The Story of Princess Ka’iulani of Hawai’i Kaʻiulani
1993 Patricia and Fredrick McKissack Madam C.J. Walker Madam C. J. Walker
1994 Mary E. Lyons Starting Home: The Story of Horace Pippin, Painter Horace Pippin
1995 Jeri Ferris What I Had Was Singing: The Story of Marian Anderson Marian Anderson
1996 Monty Roessel Songs from the Loom: A Navajo Girl Learns to Weave Navajo weaving
1997 Suhaib Hamid Ghazi Ramadan Ramadan
1998 Leon Walter Tillage Leon's Story Leon Walter Tillage
1999 John Duggleby Story Painter: The Life of Jacob Lawrence Jacob Lawrence
2000 Ruby Bridges Through My Eyes Ruby Bridges
2001 Carole Boston Weatherford The Sound that Jazz Makes African-American music
2002 Nanette Mellage Coming Home: A Story of Josh Gibson, Baseball's Greatest Home Run Hitter Josh Gibson
2003 Richard Griswold del Castillo Cesar Chavez: The Struggle for Justice / Cesar Chavez: La lucha por la justicia Cesar Chavez
2004 Liselotte Erdrich Sacagawea Sacagawea
2005 Joseph Bruchac Jim Thorpe's Bright Path Jim Thorpe
2006 Margot Theis Raven Let Them Play Civil rights movement and Little League Baseball
2007 Jim Haskins and Kathleen Benson John Lewis in the Lead: A Story of the Civil Rights Movement John Lewis
2008 Bill Wise Louis Sockalexis: Native American Baseball Pioneer Louis Sockalexis
2009 Nikki Giovanni Lincoln and Douglass: An American Friendship Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas
2010 Paula Yoo Shining Star: The Anna May Wong Story Anna May Wong
2011 Andrea Davis Pinkney Sit In: How Four Friends Stood Up By Sitting Down Greensboro sit-ins
2012 Gina Capaldi and Q. L. Pearce Red Bird Sings: The Story of Zitkala-Ša, Native American Author, Musician, and Activist (adapted) Zitkala-Ša
2013 Jabari Asim Fifty Cents and a Dream: Young Booker T. Washington Booker T. Washington
2014 Anne Rockwell Hey Charleston!: The True Story of the Jenkins Orphanage Band Jenkins Orphanage
2015 Duncan Tonatiuh Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family's Fight for Desegregation Sylvia Mendez
2016 Don Tate Poet: The Remarkable Story of George Moses Horton George Moses Horton
Chris Barton The Amazing Age of John Roy Lynch John R. Lynch
2017 Annette Bay Pimentel Mountain Chef: How One Man Lost His Groceries, Changed His Plans, and Helped Cook Up the National Park Service Tie Sing
2018 Cynthia Levinson The Youngest Marcher—The Story of Audrey Faye Hendricks, a Young Civil Rights Activist Audrey Faye Hendricks
2019 Mélina Mangal The Vast Wonder of the World: Biologist Ernest Everett Just Ernest Everett Just
2020 Kwame Alexander The Undefeated African Americans
2021 Don Tate William Still and His Freedom Stories William Still
2022 Martha Brockenbrough and Grace Lin I Am an American: The Wong Kim Ark Story United States v. Wong Kim Ark
2023 Diane Wilson, Sun Yung Shin, Shannon Gibney, and John Coy Where We Come From Cultural heritage
2024 Carole Lindstrom My Powerful Hair Long hair, indigenous peoples, and racism
2025 Kao Kalia Yang The Rock in My Throat Linguistic discrimination

References

  1. ^ "Carter G. Woodson Book Awards, 2009". ERIC. 2010. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c "About the Awards". Carter G. Woodson Awards. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
  3. ^ Maughan, Shannon (August 10, 2021). "Obituary: Eloise Greenfield". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
  4. ^ "Jesse Jackson". Oxford Reference. Oxford University Press. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
  5. ^ Huimin Liu (2021). "Literature Review on 'Dragonwings'" (PDF). Frontiers in Art Research. 3 (6). doi:10.25236/FAR.2021.030611. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
  6. ^ "Dorothy Sterling". Contemporary Authors Online. 2003. Retrieved December 19, 2024 – via Dorothy Sterling papers, Archives West.
  7. ^ "Daniel Inouye (Crowell Biographies)". African American Literature Book Club. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
  8. ^ Towne, Peter. "Nabokov, Peter (Francis) 1940–". Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
  9. ^ "War Cry on a Prayer Feather: Prose and Poetry of the Ute". Teaching Books. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
  10. ^ "The Chinese Americans". African American Literature Book Club. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
  11. ^ "Coming to North America from Mexico, Cuba and Puerto Rico". Teaching Books. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
  12. ^ a b c "Carter G. Woodson Book Award and Honor Winners: 1974–2000". National Council for the Social Studies. Retrieved December 20, 2024.
  13. ^ "Mexico and the United States". Teaching Books. Retrieved December 20, 2024.
  14. ^ "Happily May I Walk". Teaching Books. Retrieved December 20, 2024.
  15. ^ "Black Music in America". Teaching Books. Retrieved December 20, 2024.
  16. ^ "Marian Anderson". African American Literature Book Club. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  17. ^ "Paul Robeson: Hero Before His Time". African American Literature Book Club. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  18. ^ "Sorrow's Kitchen: The Life and Folklore of Zora Neale Hurston". African American Literature Book Club. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  19. ^ "Native American Doctor: The Story of Susan LaFlesche Picotte". African American Literature Book Club. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  20. ^ "Mississippi Challenge". African American Literature Book Club. Retrieved October 25, 2025.
  21. ^ "The March on Washington". African American Literature Book Club. Retrieved October 25, 2025.
  22. ^ "The March on Washington". African American Literature Book Club. Retrieved October 25, 2025.
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