The Winners of the 2026 Children’s Africana Book Awards are:
Best Chapter Books
Barracoon
by Zora Neale Hurston, Ibram X. Kendi and Jazzmen Lee-Johnson (illus.)
Amistad, An Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2024
Golden Threads
by Ariella Azoulay and Hagar Ophir (illus.)
Ayin Press, 2025
Honor Chapter Book
After the Clotilda: Africatown’s Hidden History
by Anitra Butler-Ngugi
Capstone Editions, a Capstone Imprint, 2025
Best Picture Books
Kwesi and Nana Ruby Learn to Swim
by Kobina Commeh and Barbara Quintino (illus.)
Barefoot Books, 2025
Umm Kulthum: The Star of the East
by Rhonda Roumani and Ahmed Abdelmohsen (illus.)
Crocodile Books, US, 2024
Honor Picture Books
Through Sand and Salt: A Tale of Discovery Across the Sahara
by Elizabeth Zunon
Bloomsbury Children’s Books, 2025
Prince Among Slaves: The Remarkable True Story of an African Prince Enslaved in Mississippi, and his Journey Home
by N.H. Senzai and Anna Rich (Illus.)
Nancy Paulsen Books, 2025