2019 Jane Addams Children’s Book Award-Winners

Since 1953, the Jane Addams Children’s Book Award has been recognizing children’s books of literary and aesthetic excellence that effectively engage children in thinking about peace, social justice, global community, and equality.

We love all of the books on this list of 2019 Jane Addams Children’s Book Award-Winners!

2019 Jane Addams Children’s Book Award-Winners

Younger Children Category Winner

The Day You Begin
by Jacqueline Woodson

“There will be times when you walk into a room / and no one there is quite like you.” Created by National Book Award winner Jacqueline Woodson and two-time Pura Belpré Illustrator Award winner Rafael López, The Day You Begin is a heartfelt and gorgeously illustrated book about being scared of a new situation and having the courage to overcome your fear and make new friends. ~ Diverse – Elementary School

More books about fear and courage: 18 Multicultural Children’s Books about Fear and Courage

Younger Children Category Honor Books

The Day War Came
by Nicola Davies

“It came across the playground. / It came into my teacher’s face. / It brought the roof down. and turned my town to rubble.” In response to the UK’s decision not to allow unaccompanied refugee children in any longer, Nichola Davies wrote this moving poem. With simple illustrations, The Day War Came follows a refugee child on her journey to a safe country where she finds that there is no chair at school for her. ~ Asian – Elementary School

More books about refugees and immigrants: 30 Multicultural Picture Books about Immigration

Julián Is a Mermaid
by Jessica Love

While riding on the subway with his Abuela, Julián is fascinated by three women spectacularly dressed up as mermaids. When he gets home, he makes his own fabulous mermaid costume: a butter-yellow curtain for his tail, the fronds of a potted fern for his headdress. But what will Abuela think? Vibrantly illustrated, Julián is a Mermaid is a heart-warming celebration of self-love, individuality and acceptance. ~ Hispanic – Preschool

Older Children Category Winner

Ghost Boys
by Jewell Parker Rhodes

After being shot dead by a police officer who mistook his toy gun for a real one, twelve-year-old Jerome observes the aftermath as a ghost. Soon he meets another ghost: Emmett Till, a black boy murdered in 1955. Emmett helps Jerome understand how historical racism may have led to the events that ended his life. Jerome also meets Sarah, the daughter of the police officer, who grapples with her father’s actions. Award-winning Ghost Boys is a gripping and poignant story about racism, bias and the fight for justice. ~ African – Middle School

More books about racism: 37 Children’s Books to help talk about Racism & Discrimination

Older Children Category Honor Books

The Night Diary
by Veera Hiranandan

After India has been divided into two countries (India and Pakistan), 12-year-old half-Muslim/half-Hindu Nisha doesn’t know where she belongs anymore. Her family embarks on a dangerous journey to find a new home. Told through Nisha’s letters to her late mother, The Night Diary is a poignant story of loss, identity and hope. ~ Asian – Middle School

More books set in Pakistan: 15 Children’s Books set in Pakistan

We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices
by Wade & Cheryl Willis Hudson

In poems, letters, essays, and art, fifty of the best diverse authors and illustrators share their answers to the question of what to tell our children in this divisive world. Featuring Jacqueline Woodson, Jason Reynolds, Kwame Alexander, Rita Williams-Garcia, Rafael Lopez, Javaka Steptoe, to name but a few, We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices is a gorgeously designed anthology that encourages young people to listen, learn, and build a better tomorrow. ~ African – Elementary School, Middle School

More empowering anthologies: 30 Diverse Children’s Anthologies About Trailblazing Women