James E. Ransome has been honored with the 2023 Children’s Literature Legacy Award by the American Library Association in recognition of his exceptional contributions to Children’s Literature. With a career spanning over 33 years, James has illustrated more than 70 books. His passion for drawing was kindled in Rich Square, NC, and as a teenager, he moved to Bergenfield, NJ, before pursuing a BFA from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York.Ransome’s remarkable talent has garnered him numerous accolades, including the prestigious Coretta Scott King Awards, a Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor, ALA Notables, a Jane Addams Award, and NAACP Image awards. He has also showcased his artistry through murals displayed at notable locations such as the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, Poughkeepsie’s Adriance Memorial Library, and the Underground Railroad Museum in Cincinnati. In recent years, James has extended his artistic prowess to create theater posters for Washington DC’s Arena Stage. Furthermore, his illustrations have been featured in the History Channel Documentary “Black Patriots: Heroes of the Civil War,” narrated by James’ childhood basketball idol, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He resides in New York state alongside his wife and frequent collaborator, author Lesa Cline Ransome.

Lesa Cline-Ransome is the award-winning author of numerous non-fiction and historical fiction titles for picture book, chapter book, middle grade and young adult readers. Her work has been named to ALA Notable Books and Bank Street Best Children’s Book lists. Her verse picture book biography of Harriet Tubman, Before She Was Harriet was nominated for an NAACP image award and received a Jane Addams Honor, Christopher Award, and Coretta Scott King Honor for Illustration. Finding Langston, the first in the Finding Langston trilogy, was the winner of the Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction and received the Coretta Scott King Award Author Honor. Her picture book, They Call Me Teach, received the 2025 Jane Addams Award. Her MG novel-in-verse, One Big Open Sky, was recipient of the Newbery Honor and Coretta Scott King Award Author Honor, as well as being named a Best Book of 2024 by Kirkus, the Boston Globe, and the New York Times. For Lamb, her debut YA historical fiction novel set in Jim Crow Mississippi, received four starred reviews and appeared on numerous Best of the Year lists. A MacDowell Fellow and 2022 NAIBA Legacy recipient, Lesa has received numerous honors and awards including the NAACP Award, Kirkus Best Book, New York Public Library Best Book, SLJ Best Book, ALA Notable, CBC Choice Awards, two Top 10 Sports Books for Youth, and an Orbis Pictus Recommended Book. She is currently an SCBWI Advisory Council Member and host of KidLitTV's Past Present: Giving Past Stories New Life. She lives in the Hudson Valley region of New York with her husband and frequent collaborator. They are parents of four incredible humans.