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Why Augusta Baker??
From her position as Coordinator of Children's Services at the New York Public Library, Augusta Baker promoted excellence in children's literature, storytelling and library service. She set the standard for publishers to accept and promote good children's literature that featured multiethnic characters. She raised awareness for the need for increasing children's literacy through publications, radio, television, lectures, and workshops. She served as a consultant to Sesame Street and was an advisor to Weston Woods Media.
Baker influenced countless icons of contemporary children's literature, among them, Ezra Jack Keats, Maurice Sendak, and Jerry Pinkney. She mentored many African-American authors and illustrators of children's books. Baker chaired what was then the combined Newbery/Caldecott Awards Committee. In the words of children's author and professor, Dr. Dianne Johnson, Baker was “…the most powerful individual in the world of American children's books…”
Baker's work has received considerable recognition over the years, including the first Dutton-McCrae Award, presented in 1953 for advanced study in the field of library work with children. The American Library Association presented the Grolier Award to Baker in 1968. This award is given to a librarian in a community or school who has made a unique contribution to the stimulation and guidance in reading. Baker also received honorary doctorates from St. John's University and the University of South Carolina.
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