{"id":560463,"date":"2026-07-24T00:06:23","date_gmt":"2026-07-24T00:06:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.harrisburgnewsnow.com\/news\/story\/560463\/planting-people-growing-justice-leadership-institute-announces-2026-childrens-book-award-winners.html"},"modified":"2026-07-24T00:06:23","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T00:06:23","slug":"planting-people-growing-justice-leadership-institute-announces-2026-childrens-book-award-winners","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.honolulunewsnow.com\/news\/story\/560463\/planting-people-growing-justice-leadership-institute-announces-2026-childrens-book-award-winners.html","title":{"rendered":"Planting People Growing Justice Leadership Institute Announces 2026 Children\u2019s Book Award Winners"},"content":{"rendered":"
Lena Bee, Derek Francis, and Ainissa Ramirez honored for excellence in children\u2019s literature<\/div>\n

\"\"<\/strong><\/p>\n

ST. PAUL, Minn. –<\/strong> Planting People Growing Justice Leadership Institute (PPGJLI) proudly announces the winners of the 2026 PPGJLI Children’s Book Awards<\/strong>, celebrating outstanding Black authors whose books educate, inspire, preserve history, and bring diverse stories to life for young readers.<\/p>\n

The PPGJLI Children’s Book Awards celebrate excellence in children’s literature by authors and illustrators of African descent. The awards recognize books that reflect the richness of the African diaspora, bring important and often overlooked narratives to light, and nurture a lifelong love of reading.<\/p>\n

2026 Award Recipients<\/strong><\/p>\n

Minnesota Book of the Year: Lena Bee<\/strong> — Bryson the Beast<\/em><\/p>\n

Black History Award: Derek Francis<\/strong> — Our First Bus Ride<\/em><\/p>\n

National Book of the Year: Ainissa Ramirez<\/strong> — Spark: Jim West’s Electrifying Adventures in Creating the Microphone<\/em><\/p>\n

“Books have the power to shape how children see themselves, understand their history, and imagine their future,” said Dr. Artika R. Tyner, Founder of PPGJLI. “Through the Children’s Book Awards, we celebrate authors who are expanding the stories available to young readers and ensuring that Black history, culture, creativity, and leadership have a meaningful place on every bookshelf.”<\/p>\n

Celebrate the 2026 Award Winners<\/strong><\/p>\n

PPGJLI will host a special awards ceremony, book reading, and author book signing on Saturday, September 5, 2026, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the JK Movement \/ Jimmy Lee Recreational Center, 1063 Iglehart Ave., Saint Paul, MN 55104.<\/p>\n

Children, families, educators, librarians, and community members are invited to join PPGJLI in celebrating the award-winning authors, hearing their stories, and experiencing the joy of reading together.<\/p>\n

Event Details<\/strong><\/p>\n

What:<\/strong> 2026 PPGJLI Children’s Book Awards Ceremony, Book Reading & Author Signing<\/p>\n

When:<\/strong> Saturday, September 5, 2026 | 11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.<\/p>\n

Where:<\/strong> JK Movement \/ Jimmy Lee Recreational Center1063 Iglehart Ave., Saint Paul, MN 55104<\/p>\n

The event is open to the public.<\/em><\/p>\n

Support the Award-Winning Authors<\/strong><\/p>\n

Readers can celebrate the 2026 honorees by purchasing their books and sharing these stories with children, families, classrooms, schools, and libraries.<\/p>\n

Purchase the award-winning books: <\/strong>https:\/\/bookshop.org\/lists\/ppgjli-book-awards<\/a><\/p>\n

About the PPGJLI Children’s Book Awards<\/strong><\/p>\n

The annual PPGJLI Children’s Book Awards shine a spotlight on Black authors and illustrators who are shaping the future of children’s literature. The awards advance PPGJLI’s commitment to literacy and representation by recognizing books that celebrate culture, preserve history, amplify diverse voices, and inspire the next generation of readers and leaders.<\/p>\n

About Planting People Growing Justice Leadership Institute<\/strong><\/p>\n

Planting People Growing Justice Leadership Institute (PPGJLI) is a nonprofit organization committed to planting seeds of social change through education, training, and community outreach. Through literacy, arts and humanities, leadership development, and community engagement, PPGJLI expands access to diverse books, amplifies underrepresented voices, and equips children and families with opportunities to learn, grow, and lead.<\/p>\n

For more information about PPGJLI and the Children’s Book Awards, visit www.ppgjli.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Media Contact<\/span>
Company Name:<\/strong> Planting People Growing Justice\u00ae Leadership Institute
Contact Person:<\/strong> Jacklyn Milton
Email:<\/strong> Send Email<\/a>
Phone:<\/strong> (651) 303-6566
City:<\/strong> Saint Paul
State:<\/strong> Minnesota
Country:<\/strong> United States
Website:<\/strong> www.ppgjli.org<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Lena Bee, Derek Francis, and Ainissa Ramirez honored for excellence in children\u2019s literature ST. PAUL, Minn. – Planting People Growing Justice Leadership Institute (PPGJLI) proudly announces the winners of the<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.honolulunewsnow.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/560463"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.honolulunewsnow.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.honolulunewsnow.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.honolulunewsnow.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.honolulunewsnow.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=560463"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.honolulunewsnow.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/560463\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.honolulunewsnow.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=560463"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.honolulunewsnow.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=560463"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.honolulunewsnow.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=560463"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}