The New King by Doreen Rappaport, illus. Big Boy by Tololwa Mollel, illus. The awards were established in 1991 to highlight the importance of the production of high-quality children's materials about Africa. These prestigious awards are presented annually to the authors and illustrators of the best children's books on Africa. Nominations for the award are open to books about Africa published in the United States.
Foreign titles published by U.S. publishers are also eligible.
The Children's Book Awards are given under the auspices of the African Studies Association, a non-profit corporation founded in 1957 and open to all persons and institutions interested in African affairs. With some 2800 members, the Association is the leading North American learned society promoting African Studies and the largest organization of its kind in the world.