2022 Winner
The 1619 Project: Born on the Water written by Nikole Hannah-Jones and Renée Watson, illustrated by Nikkolas Smith, and published by Kokila, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers Group.
Judges' Comments
An American origin story filled with happiness, despair, then hope, and it explores the topic, "Where did I come from?" through a student's class assignment. Readers will feel raw emotions from the poems, both joy and heartbreak.
A series of lyrical poems that skillfully combine to provide a powerful historical narrative and an origin story important to today’s youth and to American history.