Cleveland Public Library is proud to announce critically-acclaimed author Suzanne Slade and illustrator Cozbi A. Cabrera, recipients of the 2022 Norman A. Sugarman Children’s Biography Award for their book, Exquisite: The Poetry and Life of Gwendolyn Brooks. Established in 1998, the Sugarman Award is the only prize in the nation that honors biographies written for children. The virtual awards presentation will take place on Thursday, September 29.

Published by Abrams Books, Exquisite: The Poetry and Life of Gwendolyn Brooks are about the first Black person to win a Pulitzer Prize. Brooks received the prestigious award for poetry in 1950. Slade and Cabrera’s inspirational picture-book biography showcases the power of language. Exquisite tells Brooks’ life story from childhood to adulthood and her desire to write poetry amid race, gender, and the poverty of the Great Depression.  

Exquisite: The Poetry and Life of Gwendolyn Brooks have earned Slade and Cabrera national recognition, including the 2021 Coretta Scott King Book Award Illustrator Honor Book, the 2021 Robert F. Sibert Informational Honor Book, and the 2021 Association of Library Service to Children Notable Children’s Book.

Additionally, four authors received Norman A. Sugarman Children’s Biography Honor Awards:

• Nina: A Story of Nina Simone by Traci N. Todd and illustrator Christian Robinson; published by G.P. Putnam’s Son’s Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Random House

• Lizzie Demands a Seat! by Beth Anderson and artistrator E.B. Lewis; published by Calkins Creek, an imprint of Astra Books for Young Readers.

• The Water Lady: How Darlene Arviso Helps a Thirsty Navajo Nation by Alice McGinty and illustrator Shonto Begay; published by Schwartz & Wade Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House

• The Elephants Come Home: A True Story of Seven Elephants, Two People, and One Extraordinary Friendship by Kim Tomsic and illustrated by Hadley Hooper; published by Chronicle Books.