Kwame Alexander
(Juvenile Picture Books - Ej Ale)


This poem is an ode to African Americans who have encountered many defeats, but remain undefeated. Kadir Nelson’s remarkable art shows striking faces looking straight at the reader, some serious, some joyful, and some hopeful. An afterword and description of those depicted help provide context for children unfamiliar with some of the faces. 2020 illustrator award winner. Recommended for ages 6–12.

Coretta Scott King Award Winners

  • Freewater


  • March Book 3


  • Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat


  • Coretta Scott King


  • Coretta: The Autobiography of Mrs. Coretta Scott King


  • Nigeria Jones


  • Brown Girl Dreaming


  • R-E-S-P-E-C-T: Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul


  • Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre


  • Trombone Shorty


  • Before the Ever After


  • New Kid


  • Firebird


  • Out of Wonder: Poems Celebrating Poets


  • A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919


  • Coretta Scott


  • Piecing Me Together


  • Gone Crazy in Alabama


  • An American Story


  • Standing in the Need of Prayer


  • The Stuff of Stars


  • The Undefeated