The 2022 Children's Africana Book Awards

Announcing the winners of the 2022 Children's Africana Book Awards! To view the full list of winners, visit the CABA website.

Best Book for Young Children

Kwame Nkrumah Midnight Speech for Independence By Useni Eugene Perkins & Laura Freeman (illus.)

Genre: Picture Book / Ages 5 up / Ghana

On a humid March night in 1957, Kwame Nkrumah made history. While thousands of people cheered, including dignitaries from round the world, he announced his country's independence. After many years of British rule, Ghana, formerly the Gold Coast, became the first sub-Saharan African nation to break free from colonial rule. Kwame Nkrumah's Midnight Speech for Independence shares the story of Nkrumah's historic declaration of Ghana's independence and the years of struggle that led to that celebrated event.

Read a review on the book and learn more HERE.

Honor Book for Young Children

African Proverbs for All Age

By Johnnetta Betsch Cole & Nelda LaTeef (illus.)

Genre: Proverbs

"It has been said that a proverb is a short sentence based on long experience. African Proverbs is An Oprah Book about the power of proverbs, how they evolve over time, and the wisdom of various cultures in Africa. Whether you're young or old, proverbs can open your mind to new ways of seeing the world. We underestimate children, assuming they are incapable of understanding metaphor and deeper meaning. Children learn in multiple ways, but for each method by which they learn, they need engaged imagination and ignited visual sensibilities. And as adults, we underestimate ourselves when we allow our lives to be about practical matters only. Proverbs can stir our soul and spark our imagination"-- Publisher

Read a review on the book and learn more HERE.

Best Book for Older Children

Home is Not a Country

By Safia Elhillo

Genre: Young Adult Fiction

"Nima doesn't feel understood. By her mother, who grew up faraway in a different land. By her suburban town, which makes her feel too much like an outsider to fit in and not enough like an outsider to feel like that she belongs somewhere else. At least she has her childhood friend Haitham, with whom she can let her guard down and be herself. Until she doesn't. As the ground is pulled out from under her, Nima must grapple with the phantom of a life not chosen, the name her parents didn't give her at birth: Yasmeen. But that other name, that other girl, might just be more real than Nima knows. And more hungry. And the life Nima has, the one she keeps wishing were someone else's . . . she might have to fight for it with a fierceness she never knew she had"--Publisher

Read a review of the book and learn more HERE.