First awarded in 1993, the Americas Award is given in recognition of books that authentically and engagingly portray Latino/as in Latin America, the Caribbean or the United States. By combining both and linking the Americas, the award reaches beyond geographic borders, as well as multicultural-international boundaries, focusing instead upon cultural heritages within the hemisphere. The Award is unique in that selects Latino/a youth literature for classroom use and in that it focuses on the entire Western Hemisphere. Scholars from the fields of literature, education, lbrary science, and theater engage with Latino/a Critical Race Theory (LatCrit) in this ecollection of essays about the Americas Award, the Award-winning and honored books, and the contexts in which the books are used. This collection offers essays on the history of the award, close readings of Award-winning and honored books situated in the classroom, and discussions of how best to use the books in the classroom, library and theater.

The all new essays in this book discuss Black cultural retellings of traditional, European fairy tales. The representation of Black protagonists in such tales helps to shape children's ideas about themselves and the world beyond their limited experiences. Allowing them to see themselves in traditional tales strengthens connections with the world and can ignite a will to read books representing diverse ethnic and cultural characters. Also discussed is the need for a multicultural text set which includes the multiplicity of cultures within the Black Diaspora. The tales referenced in the text are rich and diverse in perspective, illuminating stories such as Aesop's fables, Cinderella, Rapunzel and Ananse. Readers will see that stories from Black perspectives adhere to the dictates of traditional literary conventions while steeped in literary traditions that can be traced back to Africa or the diaspora.

In 1945, John H. Johnson published the first issue of Ebony magazine, a monthly periodical aimed at African American readers. In 1973, the Johnson Publishing Company expanded its readership to include children by producing Ebony Jr . Targeting Black children in the five to eleven age-range, the magazine featured stories, comics, puzzles, and cartoons. Its contents combined elements of Black culture, Black history, and elementary school curriculum. The publication remained in print until 1985 and was resurrected online in 2007. In Ebony Jr The Rise, Fall and Return of a Black Children's Magazine, Laretta Henderson charts this unique publication's genesis, history, and impact. She analyzes the structure and literary context of Ebony Jr , revealing how the political climate informed the composition of the magazine. Henderson also profiles the magazine's publisher, John H. Johnson, and examines how his corporate structure facilitated and informed Ebony Jr 's content, success, and its initial demise. This culturally significant milestone in African American culture is given its due deference in this interdisciplinary examination of the environment in which Ebony Jr was produced, assessing what the magazine's existence meant to a generation of young readers.