Awards for Human Rights in Children's Literature Announced

The University of Connecticut has announced the winners of the 2024 Malka Penn Award for Human Rights in Children's Literature, which honors outstanding children's books that explore important human rights issues.

This award celebrates books that address themes like justice, equality, discrimination, and freedom, and we’re thrilled to recognize the authors whose work speaks to these powerful topics.

Named in honor of author Michele Palmer, who writes under the pseudonym Malka Penn, the award recognizes works of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, memoir, or biography which are written for children from preschool to high school.

Within these larger themes, the award committee is particularly eager to recognize stories about individuals – real or fictional, children or adults – who have been affected by social injustices, and who, by confronting them, have made a difference in their lives or the lives of others.

According to the organizers of the awards, his year’s winners “stand out for their ability to tackle complex social issues with compassion, courage, and hope—encouraging children to believe in their ability to make a difference.” 

Dodd Human Rights Impact advances a culture of human rights at UConn, in Connecticut, and around the world. As part of the Gladstein Family Human Rights Institute, situated in the University of Connecticut’s Office of Global Affairs, Dodd Impact connects the energy and expertise of human rights faculty and students to the broader community.

These authors have “created stories that will resonate with readers of all ages, helping them to understand the struggles of others and inspire them to take action. Through their words, they remind us all of the power of storytelling to create change”

The 2024 Malka Penn Award Winners include:

Winning Novel
I Kick and I Fly  By Ruchira Gupta  Published by Scholastic Press
Inspired by Gupta’s experience making an Emmy-winning documentary that exposed the sex trafficking of young women and children from villages in Nepal to the brothels of Mumbai, this story of 14-year old Heera – sold into an unimaginable fate by her father to help feed their family and repay his loans – is an unforgettable story about overcoming adversity.

Winning Picture Book
Jovita Wore Pants: The Story of a Mexican Freedom Fighter 
By Aida Salazar, illustrated by Molly Mendoza | Published by Scholastic Press
In this stunning and lively book, Salazar presents the remarkable true story of a little-known maverick Mexican heroine – her great aunt, Jovita Valdovinos – who disguised herself as a man and commanded a battalion of revolutionaries in a fight for religious freedom.

Traveling Shoes: The Story of Willye White, US Olympian and Long Jump Champion
By Alice Faye Duncan, illustrated by Keith Mallet | Published by Calkins Creek
The untold story of the Black sprinter and long jumper Willye B. White, who went from picking cotton as a child in Mississippi to competing and winning in the 1956 and 1964 Olympics.

The Bodyguard Unit: Edith Garrud, Women's Suffrage, and Jujitsu
By Clément Xavier, Lisa Lugrin, and Albertine Ralenti | Published by Graphic Universe
A graphic biography of Edith Garrud, a pioneering self-defense instructor who trained suffragettes in early twentieth century England to fight back against abuse and arrest while pursuing the right to vote.

The Cricket War
By Thọ Phạm and Sandra McTavish | Published by Kids Can Press
The gripping story of a boy’s escape from Communist Vietnam by boat, loosely based on Pham’s real-life experience as one of the Vietnamese Boat People – offering a story of hope, courage, and resilience.