91´«Ã½

CHICAGO — The 91´«Ã½ Ethnic and Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table (EMIERT) and the Coretta Scott King Book Awards Committee will celebrate the best in children’s and young adult literature representing the African-American experience at the 2017 Coretta Scott King Book Awards Breakfast. The 2017 Awards Breakfast will be held from 7 – 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, June 25 in the Hilton Chicago Grand Ballroom during 91´«Ã½’s 2017 Annual Conference and Exhibition in Chicago.

This year’s celebration will honor Coretta Scott King Author Award winners Congressman John Lewis and Andrew Aydin, authors of “March: Book Three” (Top Shelf Productions, an imprint of IDW Publishing, a division of Idea and Design Works LLC, 2016) and Illustrator Award winner Javaka Steptoe, illustrator of “Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat,” (Little, Brown and Company, 2016). John Steptoe Award for New Talent winner Nicola Yoon, author of “The Sun is Also a Star,” (Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, 2016) will also be honored.

The 2017 Coretta Scott King Book Awards Honor recipients will also be recognized, including Jason Reynolds, author of “As Brave as You,” (a Caitlyn Dlouhy Book, published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division, 2016); Ashley Bryan, author and illustrator of “Freedom Over Me: Eleven slaves, their lives and dreams brought to life by Ashley Bryan” (a Caitlyn Dlouhy Book, published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division, 2016); R. Gregory Christie, illustrator of “Freedom in Congo Square,” written by Carole Boston Weatherford (Little Bee Books, an imprint of Bonnier Publishing Group, 2016); and Jerry Pinkney, illustrator of ““In Plain Sight,” written by Richard Jackson (a Neal Porter book, published by Roaring Brook Press, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishing Holdings Limited Partnership, 2016)

Also honored will be Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop, recipient of the 2017 Coretta Scott King-Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement. Dr. Bishop, Professor Emerita at The Ohio State University, is a winner of numerous awards and has served as a respected member of many book awards committees over the course of her long and distinguished career. Her influential writing, speaking, and teaching articulates the history and cultural significance of African American children’s literature. Her globally cited work, ‘Mirrors, Windows and Sliding Glass Doors’, has inspired movements for increased diversity in books for young people, and provides the basis for the best multicultural practice and inquiry for students, teachers, writers and publishing houses.

Individual tickets may be purchased for $75 each, and can be purchased online, onsite, and at the door. To register, visit and use registration code EMI1.

The Coretta Scott King Book Awards are presented annually by the Coretta Scott King Book Awards Committee of the 91´«Ã½’s Ethnic and Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table (EMIERT) to African-American authors and illustrators to encourage the artistic expression of the African-American experience via literature and the graphic arts.

To learn more about the Coretta Scott King Book Awards, please visit .