The Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal established by the Association for Library Service to Children in 2001 is awarded to the writer and illustrator of the most distinguished informational book published in English. The book, Parrots over Puerto Rico by Cindy Trambore and illustrated by Susan L Roth, is a picture book telling the intertwined histories of the Puerto Rican parrot and the island of Puerto Rico, culminating with current efforts to save parrots from extinction.
The National Council for Social Studies (NCSS) established the Carter G. Woodson Book Awards for the most distinguished young readers books which depict ethnicity in the United States. The 2016 winner, Poet: The Remarkable Story of George Moses Horton was written and illustrated by Don Tate. It is a nonfiction picture book about George Moses Horton, an enslaved poet. He became the first African American to be published in the south, where his poetry protested his enslavement.
The Seibert and NCSS awards are similar in that they choose books which present and interpret factual material. The Seibert award is given to children’s and adult books, while NCSS is only given to children’s books. They both give awards to non fiction books, a genre that is at times not recognized enough by the literary community. Books relating to ethnic minorities and cultural history rarely receive the recognition they merit from professional organizations. 2 Parrots over Puerto Rico and Poet: The Remarkable Story of George Moses Horton both discuss important and influential topics in their community.
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