It’s Time to Turn the Page: A Thematic Analysis of Award-Winning African American Picturebooks

The world of children’s literature is often a child’s first introduction to reading. In an increasingly diverse society, children must see themselves and others represented positively in literature. The Coretta Scott King Book Award is awarded to African American authors and illustrators who create books about human values and African American culture. Research examines the portrayal of African Americans in award-winning books, but more current and extended research is needed to investigate themes across award-winning children’s literature. This research study aimed to identify the most prevalent themes in Coretta Scott King Book Award-winning books and the depiction of these themes in the text and images. This qualitative study used critical content analysis to identify themes across the Coretta Scott King Book Award-winning picturebooks published between 1990 and 2024.