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We​ ​Need​ ​Diverse​ ​Books Announces the ​2021​ ​Symposium on Diversity in Children’s Literature and the Walter​ ​Dean​ ​Myers​ ​Awards​ ​and​ ​Honor​ ​Books for​ ​Outstanding ​Children’s​ Literature

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We​ ​Need​ ​Diverse​ ​Books Announces the ​2021​ ​Symposium on Diversity in Children’s Literature and the Walter​ ​Dean​ ​Myers​ ​Awards​ ​and​ ​Honor​ ​Books for​ ​Outstanding ​Children’s​ Literature

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

We​ ​Need​ ​Diverse​ ​Books Announces the ​2021​ ​Symposium on Diversity in Children’s Literature and the Walter​ ​Dean​ ​Myers​ ​Awards​ ​and​ ​Honor​ ​Books for​ ​Outstanding ​Children’s​ Literature

January 21, 2021

Press Contact: Alaina Lavoie, alainalavoie@diversebooks.org

Website: https://diversebooks.org/our-programs/walter-award/ 

Washington, DC — We Need Diverse Books announces the sixth annual Symposium​ ​on​ diversity​ ​in​ ​children’s​ ​literature,​ ​co-hosted by​ ​the​ ​Library​ ​of​ ​Congress.​ ​The​ ​Symposium,​ ​titled​ “Listening, Learning, Creating Communities,”​ ​will be​ ​moderated​ ​by​ ​Deborah D. Taylor, Coretta Scott King/Virginia Hamilton Lifetime Achievement award-winning librarian and educator, and will include panelists Traci Chee, Robin Ha, Daniel Nayeri, and Kacen Callender.

The​ ​Symposium ​will​ ​be​ ​held on ​Friday,​ ​March​ ​12,​ ​2021, followed by the Walter​ ​Dean​ ​Myers​ Awards​ ​for​ ​Outstanding​ ​Children’s​ ​Literature Ceremony. The Symposium and Ceremony will be held virtually. Award-winning author Laurie Halse Anderson will serve as Ceremony’s Emcee. The event will begin at 1:00 PM EST and will appear on the Library’s Facebook page and its YouTube site.

The​ ​We​ ​Need​ ​Diverse​ ​Books​ ​Walter​ ​Awards​ ​Judging​ ​Committee​ ​has​ ​selected​ ​the​ ​Winners​ ​and Honorees​ ​for​ ​the​ sixth​ ​annual​ ​Walter​ ​Dean​ ​Myers​ ​Awards​ ​for​ ​Outstanding​ ​Children’s​ ​Literature.

The ​Awards​ ​comprise two​ ​categories:​ ​Teen​ ​(​ages​ ​13-18​)​ ​and​ ​Younger​ ​Readers​ ​(​ages 9-13​).​ ​One Winner​ and two Honor Books ​in​ each ​category​ ​have​ ​been​ ​named.

2021​ ​Walter​ ​Award,​ ​Teen​ ​Category

Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam, illustrated by Omar T. Pasha

2021 ​Walter​ ​Honors,​ ​Teen​ ​Category

We Are Not Free by Traci Chee
Almost American Girl by Robin Ha

2021 ​Walter​ ​Award,​ ​Younger​ ​Readers​ ​Category

When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed, with color by Iman Geddy

2021​ ​Walter​ ​Honors,​ ​Younger​ ​Readers​ ​Category

King and the Dragonflies by Kacen Callender
Everything Sad is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri

2021 Walter Awards winners and honorees

The​ ​Walter​ ​Dean​ ​Myers​ ​Award,​ ​also​ ​known​ ​as​ ​“The​ ​Walter,”​ ​is​ ​named​ ​for​ ​prolific​ ​children’s​ ​and young​ ​adult​ ​author​ ​Walter​ ​Dean​ ​Myers​ ​(1937-2014).​ ​Myers​ ​was​ ​the​ ​third​ ​National​ ​Ambassador for​ ​Young​ ​People’s​ ​Literature,​ ​appointed​ ​in​ ​2012​ ​by​ ​the​ ​Library​ ​of​ ​Congress.​ ​He​ ​was​ ​a​ ​champion of​ ​diversity​ ​in​ ​children’s​ ​books.​ ​The​ ​Walter​ ​Awards​ commemorate ​Myers’​ ​memory​ ​and​ ​his​ literary legacy,​ ​as​ ​well​ ​as​ ​celebrate​ ​diversity​ ​in​ ​children’s​ ​literature.

The​ ​2021 ​Walter​ ​Awards​ ​Judging​ ​Committee:​ Morika Tsujimura (Committee Chair, Science and Math Teacher, Grace Church School), Cathy Berner (Events Coordinator and Children’s/YA Specialist, Blue Willow Bookshop), Lindsay Hall (Lower School Librarian, Sidwell Friends School), Alicia Long (Access Services Supervisor/Librarian, State College of Florida), Gregory Lum (Library Director, Jesuit High School, Portland OR), J. Joseph Prince (Curriculum & Outreach Educator,
Curriculum Resource Center, Jerome Library, Bowling Green State University), and Hadeal Salamah (Lower/Middle School Librarian, Georgetown Day School).

About We Need Diverse Books. We Need Diverse Books is a grassroots organization of children’s book lovers that advocates essential changes in the publishing industry to produce and promote literature that reflects and honors the lives of all young people. It is our mission to put more books featuring diverse characters in the hands of all children. You can learn more about WNDB programs at www.diversebooks.org.

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