

Powerful stories tell the impact of racism and are presented in the details of day-to-day bullying and injustices such as the denial of human rights, legalized segregation, civil rights, and more. Grounded in family loyalty and love, each generation faces seemingly unsurmountable challenges yet meets them with resilience. The Logan family saga is told across 10 books that span generations. In addition to numerous awards for individual books, Mildred Taylor is the 2020 recipient of the Coretta Scott King-Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement. Taylor’s award-winning works include “ Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry”, which won the 1977 Newbery Medal and the Coretta Scott King Honor Award “The Friendship,” “ Road to Memphis,” and “ The Land”, all recipients of the Coretta Scott King Award. Weaving elements from her family history, Taylor’s lifelong work has been the telling of the Logan family saga. Winning the competition of the Council of Interracial Books for Children meant having her first book published.

A childhood of listening to family stories told by her father and uncles at the Mississippi family homestead guided her journey in becoming a writer. Mildred Taylor was born in Mississippi, grew up in Ohio, and now lives in Colorado. “Taylor’s storytelling shows how courage, dignity, and family love endure amidst racial injustice and continues to enlighten hearts and minds of readers through the decades.” said Children’s Literature Legacy Award Committee Chair Dr. The award is administered annually by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the ALA. The award was announced today, during the American Library Association (ALA) Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits, held virtually Jan. Her numerous works include “ Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry” (Dial, 1976) and “ All the Days Past, All the Days to Come” (Dial, 2020).


Taylor (Ethiopia 1965-67) is the winner of the 2021 Children’s Literature Legacy Award honoring an author or illustrator, published in the United States, whose books have made a significant and lasting contribution to literature for children.
