Cleveland Public Library Presents: 2022 Norman A. Sugarman Children’s Biography Awards

Cleveland Public Library will celebrate authors, illustrators, and publishers during the virtual 2022 Norman A. Sugarman Children’s Biography Awards ceremony.  

This year’s winner is critically-acclaimed author Suzanne Slade and illustrator Cozbi A. Cabrera for their book, Exquisite: The Poetry and Life of Gwendolyn Brooks. Published by Abrams Books, Exquisite is about the first Black person to win a Pulitzer Prize. 

Additionally, four authors received Sugarman 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 

The Sugarman Award is given biennially, and the award recipients are chosen by a committee appointed by Cleveland Public Library.  

The award was established by Joan G. Sugarman in memory of her husband, Norman A. Sugarman, a prominent tax attorney who was born and raised in Cleveland and later served in Washington, D.C. 

Sugarman Committee

• Annisha Jeffries, Chair of the Norman A. Sugarman Children’s Biography Committee and Youth Services Manager at Cleveland Public Library
• Erica Marks, Youth Services Program Director at Cleveland Public Library
• Tracy Isaac, Lending Assistant Supervisor at Cleveland Public Library, Hough Reads Coordinator 
• Rhonda Crowder, Glenville Branch Children’s Librarian 
• Peter Roth, Memorial-Nottingham Branch Librarian 
• Joanna Rivera, Lan Gao, Youth Services Librarian at Cleveland Public Library, and 
• Charles Ellenbogen, English teacher at Campus International High School.