The winners of the 2019 Ezra Jack Keats Awards were presented with their awards at the University of Southern Mississippi on April 4th. The awards from the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation are given every year to an outstanding new writer and new illustrator. Here are the winners and honor books for 2019:

NEW WRITER AWARD

Kitten and the Night Watchman by John Sullivan

 

NEW ILLUSTRATOR AWARD

Thank You, Omu! by Oge Mora

 

WRITER HONOR BOOKS

Alma and How She Got Her Name by Juana Martinez-Neal

Lena’s Shoes Are Nervous by Keith Calabrese, illustrated by Juana Medina

The Funeral by Matt James

 

ILLUSTRATOR HONOR BOOKS

Julian Is a Mermaid by Jessica Love

Prickly Hedgehogs! by Jane McGuinness