The Children’s Africana Book Awards (CABA) are presented annually to the authors and illustrators of the best children’s and young adult books on Africa published or republished in the U.S.

Africa Access and the Outreach Council of the African Studies Association (ASA) created CABA in 1991 to encourage the publication and use of accurate, balanced children’s materials about Africa.

The Center for African Studies at Howard University is the institutional base for the Awards and operates the Outreach Center. CABA is one of the programs of the Outreach Center.

This year’s winners are:

Best Chapter Books

The Maid and the Crocodile. Jordan Ifueko. Amulet Books, 2024.

With Love, Miss Americanah. Jane Igharo. Feiwel and Friends, 2024.

Kwame Crashes the Underworld. Craig Kofi Farmer, Roaring Brook Press, 2024.

My Life as a Chameleon. Diana Anyakwo. IgKids, 2024.

Honor Chapter Books

The Kingdom of Dust. Lisa Stringfellow. Quill Tree Books/ HarperCollins, 2024. The Smoke that Thunders. Erhu Kome. Accord Books/Norton Young Readers, 2024.

Flying Through Water. Mamle Wolo. Little Brown/ Hachette, 2024. 

Best Picture Books

The Heart Never Forgets. Ana Otaru and Hayden Goodman (Illustrator). Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2024.

The Gabi That Girma Wore. Fasika Adefris and Sara Holly Ackerman. Netsanet Tesfay (illustrator). Little Brown// Hachette, 2024.

Zamzam. Karen Leggett Abouraya and Susan Roth (illustrator). Reycraft Books, 2024.

I'll See You in Ijebu. Bunmi Emenanjo and Diana Ejaita (illustrator). Barefoot Books, 2024.

Honor Book for Young Children

What Happened on Thursday. A Nigerian Civil War Story. Ayo Oyeku and Lydia Mba (illustrator). Amazon Crossing Kids, 2024.