An American Story (Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award Winner) - Hardcover

by Kwame Alexander (Author), Dare Coulter (Illustrator)

A Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award Book
A 2023 New York Times Best Children's Book
A 2023 Publisher's Weekly Best Picture Book
An NPR Best Book of the Year

#1 New York Times Bestselling and award-winning author of The Undefeated, Kwame Alexander, pens a powerful picture book that tells the story of American slavery through the voice of a teacher struggling to help her students understand its harrowing history.

From the fireside tales in an African village, through the unspeakable passage across the Atlantic, to the backbreaking work in the fields of the South, this is a story of a people's struggle and strength, horror and hope. This is the story of American slavery, a story that needs to be told and understood by all of us. A testament to the resilience of the African American community, this book honors what has been and envisions what is to be.

With stunning mixed-media illustrations by Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award winning artist Dare Coulter, this is a potent book for those who want to speak the truth. Perfect for family sharing, the classroom, and homeschooling.

Author Biography

Kwame Alexander is a poet, educator, publisher, and New York Times bestselling author of 35 books, including the Caldecott Medal and Newbery Honor-winning picture book The Undefeated, illustrated by Kadir Nelson, the Newbery medal-winning novel, The Crossover (an Emmy-winning TV series on Disney plus), and Becoming Muhammad Ali, co-authored with James Patterson. He is also a regular contributor to NPR's Morning Edition. He invites you to visit him at kwamealexander.com.

Dare Coulter (she/her) is an award-winning artist, muralist, and sculptor whose primary artistic objective is to create positive imagery of black people and families. She received the Coretta Scott King Award for Illustration for her art in An American Story. She lives in North Carolina but intends to have a global presence by installing sculptures depicting black joy around the world. She invites you to visit her at darecoulter.com and can be found on Instagram and Twitter @darecoulter.