A discussion guide for Coretta Scott King Award-winning books

For Immediate Release
Mon, 04/28/2014

Contact:

Rob Christopher

Marketing Coordinator

ALA Publishing

American Library Association

312-280-5052

rchristopher@ala.org

CHICAGO — Spotlighting titles appropriate for grades K-12, “Coretta Scott King Award Books Discussion Guide: Pathways to Democracy,” published by ALA Editions, builds on the rich legacy of the Coretta Scott King award-winning books to offer an important educational resource for teachers, librarians, parents and other caregivers. This guide, written by Adelaide Poniatowski Phelps and Carole J. McCollough, identifies within the plot, character and themes of each book those values that relate to being an American citizen and to living in a democratic society and then shows how to use the book as a springboard for discussion. Ideal for use in the classroom, the library and the home, this guide:

  • includes a foreword by Linda M. Pavonetti, EdD, Vice-President, International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY);
  • organizes titles by grade-specific chapters, making it easy to find suitable books;
  • features bibliographic information and a brief summary of each book, along with suggested opening questions to get the discussion started, and “Beyond the Book” questions that encourage children to talk about their own experiences;
  • suggests hundreds of books for further discussion.

Phelps is the recently retired coordinator of the Educational Resources Lab in the School of Education and Human Services at Oakland University and a former lecturer in children’s literature for the reading department there. She is a member of the Coretta Scott King Book Awards Committee and served two terms on the awards jury. She was a reviewer for Multicultural Review, a contributing reviewer for the fourth edition of “The Coretta Scott King Awards 1970–2009,” and has written for numerous other publications.

McCollough is a retired associate professor and dean of the Library and Information Science program at Wayne State University. She is currently an auxiliary faculty, trainer, and curriculum committee member for the Children’s Defense Fund. She has chaired both the Coretta Scott King Book Award Committee and the Coretta Scott King Book Award jury, has been a contributing reviewer to all four editions of “The Coretta Scott King Awards 1970–2009,” and was a reviewer for Multicultural Review.

The Coretta Scott King Book Awards are given annually to outstanding African American authors and illustrators of books for children and young adults that demonstrate an appreciation of African American culture and universal human values.  The award commemorates the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and honors his wife, Mrs. Coretta Scott King, for her courage and determination to continue the work for peace and world brotherhood. 

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