1. 2010 Honor Winner, Beverley Naidoo's audio acceptance speech for Burn My Heart

  • History

In 1991 the Outreach Council of the African Studies Association accepted a proposal from Africa Access to establish awards for outstanding K-12 books on Africa published in the U.S. The awards are designed to encourage the publication of accurate, balanced children’s materials on Africa, to recognize literary excellence and to acknowledge the research achievements of outstanding authors and illustrators. Collectively CABA winners show that Africa is indeed a varied and multifaceted continent. CABA titles expand and enrich our perspectives of Africa beyond the stereotypical , ahistorical and exotic images that are emphasized in the West.

Award Seals

Children's Africana Book Award seals are available for Best Books (gold seals) and Honor Books (silver seals). 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
Africa Access
harrietmcguire@earthlink.net

 

 

 
Best Book for Young Children, 2010

Pharaoh's Boat
(Houghton Mifflin)

With poetic language and striking illustrations, David Weitzman tells the story of how one of the greatest boats of ancient Egypt came to be built and built again. In the shadow of the Great Pyramid at Giza, the most skilled shipwrights in all of Egypt are building an enormous vessel that will transport Cheops, the mighty pharaoh, across the winding waterway and into a new world. But no one could have imagined just where the journey of Pharaoh's boat would ultimately lead.

As a boy David Weitzman spent countless hours studying hieroglyphs and viewing Egyptian artifacts in museums. He eventually made his way to Egypt where he heard about the Cheops's funerary boat. Weitzman lives in the mountains of northern California.

Best Book for Youunger Readers Winner, David Weitzman helps 6th graders build a replica of Cheops' boat at the Library of Congress, Nov. 5, 2010

Best Book for Older Readers, 2010

Nelson Mandela: The Authorized Comic Book
(W.W. Norton)

Created by The Nelson Mandela Foundation and Umlando Wezithombe, this graphic novel is, as the title suggests, a visual representation of the life and times of Nelson Mandela also affectionately known by his clan name, Madiba. First released in South Africa as a series of nine separate comics, the international one-book version unfolds in beautifully drawn graphic images accompanied with narrative text.

The Nelson Mandela Foundation was established after Mandela's retirement on August 19, 1999 and leads the development of a living legacy that captures the vision and values of Mr. Mandela's life and work. Umlando Wezithombe (History of Pictures) is a comic production company using the visual medium for education, training and entertainment. View: .Video: The making of Nelson Mandela: The Authorized Comic Book ArtisanCam.org

Best Book Winners Pitshou Mamp and Pascal Nzoni from Umlando Wezithombe
Honor Books for Older Readers

Burn My Heart
(HarperCollins)

This novel by celebrated author Beverley Naidoo tells a serious story of colonialism in Kenya during the Mau Mau rebellion through the eyes of two boys, Mathew and Mugo; the embodiment of oppressor and oppressed respectively. Mathew is the grandson of British colonialists while Mugo is the grandson of Kikuyu farmers whose land was taken by the British goverment and sold to Mathew's grandfather at a giveaway price. The book provides important moral lessons that can be applied in situations where stereotypes, injustices and other discriminatory practices thrive.

Beverley Naidoo grew up in South Africa under apartheid. She was detained without trial when she was twenty-one and later went into exile in Britain, where she has since lived. She has two former CABA winners, Out of Bounds (2004 ) and No Turning Back (1998)

Trouble in Timbuktu
(Philomel)

Cristina Kessler's new novel takes place in Mali. Local twins Ayisha and Ahmed know something is not right with an American tourist and his wife. Why are they so interested in the ancient manuscripts of Timbuktu? Could they really be plotting to steal one? Well, the manuscripts are more than old manuscripts to Ayisha and Ahmed; they are a rich part of their own heritage. No way are the two teens going to let this happen! They risk everything to stop them, embarking on a desperate quest that takes them across the desert, through a deadly heat, a sweeping sandstorm and finally to the port city of Korioume to confront and trap the wily thieves, and save a treasure of Timbuktu.

Cristina Kessler began writing for children in 1981 when she sold her first manuscript to Highlights for Children. She has lived in Sierra Leone, Niger, Mozambique, Sudan, Ethiopia and Mali. Her personal writing agenda is, "to get the good news out about Africa."

Honor Book winner Cristina Kessler signs copies of Trouble in Timbuktu at the Library of Congress, Nov. 5, 2010