In 1991 the Outreach Council of the African Studies Association accepted a proposal from Africa Access to establish awards for outstanding K-12 books on Africa published in the U.S. The awards are designed to encourage the publication of accurate, balanced children’s materials on Africa, to recognize literary excellence and to acknowledge the research achievements of outstanding authors and illustrators. Collectively CABA winners show that Africa is indeed a varied and multifaceted continent. CABA titles expand and enrich our perspectives of Africa beyond the stereotypical , ahistorical and exotic images that are emphasized in the West.
2023
Best Book for Older Readers Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun Tọlá Okogwu Margaret K. McElderry
The Door of No Return Kwame Alexander Little Brown and Company, 2022
Honor Books for Older Readers How You Grow Wings Rimma Onoseta Algonquin Young Readers, 2022
Honor Books for Older Readers Children of the Quicksands Efua Traoré Chicken House, 2022
Honor Books for Older Readers The Kaya Girl Mamle Wolo Little, Brown and Company, 2022
Best Book for Young Children Bottle Tops, The Art of El Anatsu Alison Goldberg & Elizabeth Zunon (illus.) Lee & Low Books, 2022
Best Book for Young Children Lion Lights, My Invention that Made Peace with Lions Richard Turere, Shelly Pollock and Sonia Possentini (illus.) Tilbury House, 2022
2022
Best Book for Young Children Kwame Nkrumah Midnight Speech for Independence Useni Eugene Perkins & Laura Freeman (illus.) Just Us Books, Inc., 2021
Honor Book for Young Children African Proverbs for all Ages Johnnetta Betsch Cole & Nelda LaTeef (illus.)
Best Book for Older Readers Home is Not a Country Safia Elhillo Make Me a World, Random House, 2021
Honor Books for Older Readers Skin of the Sea Natasha Bowen Random House, 2021
Honor Books for Older Readers Crossing the Stream Elizabeth-Irene Baitie Norton Young Readers, 2021
Honor Books for Older Readers Sugar Town Queens Malla Nunn G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2021
Best Book for Young Children Nana Akua Goes to School Tricia Elam Walker, April Harrison Schwartz & Wade Books
Best Book for Young Children Idia of the Benin Kingdom Ekiuwa Aire, Alina Shabelnyk Our Ancestors
Honor Books for Young Children The Talking Baobab Tree Nelda LaTeef Sub-Saharan Publishers
Honor Books for Young Children The Arabic Quilt: An Immigrant Story Aya Khalil, Anait Semirdzhyan Tilbury House
Best Book for Older Readers Raybearer Jordan Ifueko Amulet Books
2020
Best Book for Young Children Hector: A Boy, a Protest, and the Photograph that Changed Apartheid Adrienne Wright Page Street Kids
Honor Books for Young Children Sulwe Lupita Nyong’o , Vashti Harrison Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Honor Books for Young Children Grandpa Cacao: A Tale of Chocolate, from Farm to Family Elizabeth Zunon Bloomsbury Children’s Books
Honor Books for Young Children Songs in the Shade of the Cashew and Coconut Trees Nathalie Soussana, Jean-Christophe Hoarau, Judith Gueyfier The Secret Mountain
2019
Best Book for Young Children Sing to the Moon Nansubuga Nagadya Isdahl, Sandra van Doorn Lantana Publishing
Honor Books for Young Children Animal Village Nelda LaTeef Accra, Sub-Saharan Publishers
Honor Books for Young Children Grandad Mandela Zazi, Ziwelene, Zindzi Mandela, Sean Qualls Lincoln’s Children’s books
Honor Books for Young Children Mama’s Amazing Cover Cloth Ruby Goka, Edmund Opare Accra, Sub-Saharan Publishers
Children of Blood and Bone Tomi Adeyemi Henry Holt & Company
Honor Books for Older Readers Mirage Somaiya Daud Flatiron Books
Honor Books for Older Readers Shaka Rising: A Legend of the Warrior Prince Luke W. Molver, Mason O’Connor Livermore
2018
Best Books for Young Children Baby Goes to Market Atinuke and Angela Brooksbank Candlewick
Best Books for Young Children Mama Africa, How Miriam Makeba Spread Hope with Her Song Kathryn Erskine and Charly Palmer Farrar Straus Giroux
Best Books for Young Children Grandma’s List Portia Dery and Toby Newsome African Bureau Stories
Honor Books for Young Children The Wooden Camel Wanuri Kahiu and Manuela Adreani Lantarna
Honor Books for Young Children Sleep Well, Siba & Saba Nansubuga Nagadya Isdahi and Sandra Van Doom Lantana
2017
Best Book for Young Children : ex-aequo Gizo-Gizo ! A Tale From the Zongo Lagoon Emily Williamson with the students and teachers of the Hassaniyya Quranic School in Cape Coast Ghana Sub-Saharan Publishers [Ghana]
Best Book for Young Children : ex-aequo The Storyteller Evan Turk Atheneum [Etats-Unis]
Honor Books Aluta Adwoa Badoe Groundwood / House of Anansi [Etats-Unis]
Honor Books Bitter Side of Sweet Tara Sullivan G.P. Putnam [Etats-Unis]
Honor Books The Boy Who Spat in Sargrenti’s Eye Manu Herbstein Techmate [Ghana]
2016
Best Book for Young Children : ex-aequo Chicken in the Kitchen Nnedi Okorafor, ill. Mehrdokht Amini Lantana Publishing [Royaume-Uni]
Best Book for Young Children : ex-aequo Wangari Maathai : The Woman Who Planted Millions of Trees Franck Prévot, ill. Aurélia Fronty Charlesbridge [Etats-Unis]
Honor Books for Young Children : ex-aequo Double Trouble for Anna Hibiscus Atinuke, ill. Lauren Tobias Walker Books / Kane Miller [Royaume-Uni]
Honor Books for Young Children : ex-aequo Nana and Me Kathy Knowles, ill. Edmund Opare Osu Children’s Library Fund [Canada]
2015
Best Book for Young Children The Red Pencil Andrea Davis Pinkney, ill. Shane W. Evans Little, Brown and Company
2014
Best Book for Young Children : ex-aequo Desmond and the Very Mean Word, A Story of Forgiveness Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Douglas Abrams, ill. A.G. Ford Candlewick Press
Best Book for Young Children : ex-aequo Bundle of Secrets, Savita Returns Home Mubina Hassanali Kirmani, ill. Tony Siema CreateSpace
2011
Honor Book for Young Children S is for South Africa Beverley Naidoo Frances Lincoln
Best Book for Young Children Seeds of Change : Planting a Path to Peace Jen Cullerton Johnson Lee & Low Books
2010
Best Book for Young Children Pharaoh’s Boat David Weitzman, aut. et ill. Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
2009
Best Book for Young Children One Hen: How One Small Loan Made a Big Difference Katie Smith Milway Kids Can Press,
Past Honor Books for Young Children : ex-aequo Planting the Trees of Kenya: The Story of Wangari Maathai Clair Nivola, aut. et ill. Straus, and Giroux
Past Honor Books for Young Children : ex-aequo The Butter Man Elizabeth and Ali Alalou Charlesbridge Publishing
2008
Best Book for Young Children Ikenna goes to Nigeria Ifeoma Onyefulu, aut. et photogr. Frances Lincoln
Past Honor Books for Young Children Wiil Waal A Somali Folktale
Minnesota Humanities Commission
2007
Best Book for Young Children I Lost my Tooth in Africa Penda Diakite Kane Miller
Past Honor Books for Young Children My Father's Shop Satomi Ichikawa, aut. et ill. Scholastic
2006
Best Book for Young Children How the Amazon Queen Fought the Prince of Egypt Tamara Bowers, aut. et ill. Atheneum Books for Young Readers
2005
Best Book for Young Children Here Comes Our Bride! Ifeoma Onyefulu, aut. et ill. Frances Lincoln Children's Book (Distributed in the USA by Publishers Group)
Past Honor Books for Young Children Circle Unbroken: the Story of a Basket and its People Margot Theis Raven Farrar, Straus and Giroux
2004
Best Book for Young Children Babu's Song Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen Lee & Low Books
Past Honor Books for Young Children : ex-aequo Once Upon a Time Niki Daly, aut. et ill. Farrar, Straus & Giroux
Past Honor Books for Young Children : ex-aequo The Magic Gourd Baba Wague Diakite, aut. et ill. Scholastic
2003
Best Book for Young Children Fatuma’s New Cloth Leslie Bulion Moon Mountain
Past Honor Books for Young Children : ex-aequo Silly Mammo Gebregeorgis Yohannes African Sun Publishing
Past Honor Books for Young Children : ex-aequo Sosu’s Call Meshack Asare, aut. et ill. Kane/Miller Books
2002
Best Book for Young Children What's Cooking, Jamela Niki Daly, aut. et ill. Farrar, Strauss & Giroux
Past Honor Books for Young Children : ex-aequo Beatrice's Goat Page McBrier An Anne Schwartz Book/Atheneum Book for Young Readers
Past Honor Books for Young Children : ex-aequo Gugu's House Catherine Stock, aut. et ill. Clarion Books
Past Honor Books for Young Children : ex-aequo Bikes for Rent Isaac Olaleye Orchard Books
2001
Best Book for Young Children Africa is Not a Country Margy Burns Knight and Mark Melnicove Millbrook Press
Past Honor Books for Young Children : ex-aequo My Great-Grandmother's Gourd Cristina Kessler Orchard Books/Grolier
Past Honor Books for Young Children : ex-aequo Subira Subira Tololwa Mollel Clarion/ Houghton Mifflin
2000
Best Book for Young Children My Rows and Piles of Coins Tololwa Mollel Clarion Books
Past Honor Books for Young Children : ex-aequo Jamela's Dress Niki Daly, aut. et ill. Farrar, Straus & Giroux
Past Honor Books for Young Children : ex-aequo Vacation in the Village Pierre Yves Njeng, aut. et ill. Boyd's Mill Press
1999
Best Book for Young Children The Master Weaver From Ghana Gilbert Ahiagble and Louise Meyers Open Hand Publisher
Past Honor Books for Young Children Halala Means Welcome: A Book of Zulu Words Ken Wilson-Max, aut. et ill. Hyperion
1998
Best Book for Young Children Only a Pigeon Christopher and Jane Kurtz Simon and Schuster
1997
Best Book for Young Children The Day Gogo Went to Vote Elinor Sisulu Little, Brown
1996
Best Book for Young Children The New King Doreen Rappaport Dial
Past Honor Books for Young Children : Ex aequo Boundless Grace Mary Hoffman Dial
Past Honor Books for Young Children : Ex aequo Big Boy Tololwa Mollel Clarion
1995
Best Book for Young Children It Takes a Village Jane Cowen-Fletcher, aut. et ill. Scholastic
1994
Best Book for Young Children
1993
Best Book for Young Children Sundiata: Lion King of Mali David Wisniewski, aut. et ill. Clarion Books
1992
Best Book for Young Children The Origin of Life on Earth: An African Creation Myth David Anderson Sights Productions