The Children's Africana Book Awards are presented annually to the authors and illustrators of the best children's books on Africa published or republished in the U.S. The awards were created by the African Studies Association (ASA) to encourage the publication and use of accurate, balanced children's materials about Africa. The awards are presented in two categories: Young Children and Older Readers.
Nominated books must meet the following criteria:
1. Books should be suitable for children ages 4-18;
2. A significant portion of the book's content should be about Africa (books with content primarily about African Americans or other parts of the African Diaspora are not eligible);
3. Books must be copyrighted in the preceding year to be eligible for the current award year. Books must be copyrighted in 2008 to be eligible for the 2009 awards;
4. Books must be available for purchase in the U.S.
Nominations for the Children's Africana Book Awards are made directly by publishers, who may nominate as many separate titles for a given year's competition, as they desire.
Each book is read and evaluated by African studies scholars. Reviews of nominated titles are posted on the Internet at Africa Access Review http://www.AfricaAccessReview.org. Printed reviews will be published in Sankofa: A Journal of African Children's and Young Adult http://jewel.morgan.edu/~english/sankofa/index.html and Multicultural Review http://www.mcreview.com/.
The Children's Africana Book Awards are given under the auspices of the Outreach Council of the African Studies Association. The aims of the Outreach Council of African Studies Association are to share and disseminate resources about Africa; exchange experiences on best practices in conducting outreach activities, educate the public about Africa; and facilitate the exchange of ideas, information and research findings on Africa.
The African Studies Association is a non-profit organization founded in 1957 and open to all persons and institutions interested in African affairs. The goals of the organization are to bring together persons with scholarly and professional interest in Africa, to provide information and support services to schools, businesses, media, and communities at large, to publish and distribute scholarly materials on Africa, and to promote the study of Africa.
To submit titles contact: harrietmcguire@earthlink.net
You may order the Children's Africana Book Award seals. There is a gold award winner seal and a silver honor book seal. The cost for adhesive seals depends on the quantity ordered. Over 50, the seals cost $0.20 each; 50 or fewer seals cost $0.50 each. An electronic version of the seal is available to award-winning publishers: Contact publicity director, Harriet McGuire |
Order Award Posters
The Children's Africana Book Award Poster depicts award winning books. The colorful poster is 24" x 31" (approx.) and costs $20. Please add $4 for shipping and handling. Contact Outreach Director Jamie McGowan at the University of Chicago at Urbana Champaign: jmcgowan@uiuc.edu |
