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By Bianca Schulze, The Children’s Book Review
Published: January 10, 2011

As announced by the American Library Association (ALA) …

Coretta Scott King (Author) Book Award

Recognizing an African American author of outstanding books for children and young adults:

“One Crazy Summer,” written by Rita Williams-Garcia is the 2011 King Author Book winner. The book is published by Amistad, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

Three King Author Honor Books were selected:

“Lockdown,” by Walter Dean Myers and published by Amistad, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers; “Ninth Ward,” by Jewell Parker Rhodes and published by Little, Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.; and “Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty,” written by G. Neri, illustrated by Randy DuBurke and published by Lee & Low Books Inc.

Coretta Scott King (Illustrator) Book Award

Recognizing an African American illustrator of outstanding books for children and young adults:

“Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave,” illustrated by Bryan Collier, is the 2011 King Illustrator Book winner. The book was written by Laban Carrick Hill and published by Little, Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.

One King Illustrator Honor Book was selected:

“Jimi Sounds Like a Rainbow: A Story of the Young Jimi Hendrix,” illustrated by Javaka Steptoe, written by Gary Golio and published by Clarion Books, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent (Author) Award

“Zora and Me

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Seeds of Change by Jen Cullerton Johnson is a wonderful picture book biography on Wangari Maathai. My review now enjoy the interview

Hi, Jen and welcome. Can you tell us a little about yourself?
I live and teach Spanish in Chicago. I just started a new teaching job at Simpson Academy for Young Women.

I also teach composition at St. Augustine College. When I am not teaching, I love to hang out
with my friends and family, especially my son Nico. We like to sail, ride our bikes,
and go to used books stores.

Who is Wangari Maathai?
Wangari Maathai is a woman, an African, a mother, a grandmother, a scientist, an environmentalist, a sister, a Kikuyu, a leader, a daughter, a Kenyan, a reader,
a writer, and most importantly a human being who knows we are all connected
no matter if we are plant, animal or human.

Wangari Maathai’s achievements have widened the road for women and Africans. Wangari’s life is an amazing life of “firsts”. She was the first East African woman ever to earn her PhD, an
advance degree in science. She was the first African woman ever to win the Nobel Prize. She was the first woman to organize young poor women to 30 millions plant trees in her home country of Kenya.

Have you ever planted a tree?
Yes! Yes! Yes! I love planting seeds and saplings. I hope all of your readers will plant a tree. There is a little trick to planting trees. When you buy a tree, there are always directions that come with how to plant the tree. I follow those directions. But I do two things differently.

First when you dig the whole, make sure it is wide enough and deep enough. I always try and put a little compost in the hole to give the tree some boost. Finally when the tree is planted and the dirt covers up the roots, I say a few words of thanks to the tree and to life for connecting me to the earth. I know it sounds sappy but I feel like the trees I have planted have heard me. All of them thrive! If you don’t believe try it yourself!

I've never planted a tree but I've said words of thanks to a few. So if that's sappy I am right there with you.

How many times have you read Dr. Maathai memoir, Unbowed?
I read Unbowed four times. The first two times I read her memoir for pleasure. I love Wangari’s cadence. She has such a graceful yet powerful way of stringing together words. I read the book two more times for research and once before I wrote the book and then afterwards to double-check my facts.

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