2021 Georgia Children's Book Awards winners
Stories about the depth of a father-daughter relationship and recollections of a childhood spent in American internment camps during World War II topped the list of children’s favorites for the 2021 Georgia Children’s Book Awards.
This year’s winning books, “Hair Love,” written by Matthew A. Cherry and illustrated by Vashti Harrison, and “They Called Us Enemy,” written by George Takei, Steven Scott, and Justin Eisinger and illustrated by Harmony Becker, were announced on Friday, March 26. “Hair Love” won in the Picturebook (grades K-4) category while “They Called Us Enemy” won in the Book (grades 4-8) category.
The annual awards are the result of nearly 20,000 votes cast by children from across Georgia and are sponsored by the Department of Language and Literacy Education.
“This year’s participation exceeded our expectations, especially when considering all of the personal, professional, and societal challenges we have faced and continue to face,” said Jennifer Graff, associate professor in the Department of Language and Literacy Education. “The 2021 Georgia Children’s Book Awards winners are powerful reflections of the need for #OwnVoices books in schools, libraries, and homes, as well as children’s preferences for graphic novels and books that reflect life’s realities—past and present.”