As a child, Shane Evans loved books with the shiny seals.</p><p>You know, the ones that signify awards like Newbery and Caldecott.</p><p>He didn&#x92;t know why he liked them. He just knew he was reading something special if there was, say, a Coretta Scott King sticker on the cover.</p><p>And as of Monday, a book he wrote and illustrated will bear that seal.</p><p>Evans&#x92; book, &#x93;Underground: Finding the Light to Freedom,&#x94; is one of the winners of the 2012 Coretta Scott King Book Awards honoring African-American authors and illustrators of outstanding books for children and young adults.</p><p>&#x93;Underground,&#x94; a Neal Porter Book, published by Roaring Brook Press, uses the contrast of light and dark colors as symbolism for the slaves&#x92; journey. Dark greens and blues show fear and oppression and vivid golds and yellows express joy and freedom. Evans uses his gifts to portray the spirit of the Underground Railroad so that even toddlers can understand.</p><p>Each year the award is presented to encourage the artistic expression and understanding of the African-American experience. It&#x92;s also a celebration of the life and legacy of Coretta Scott King for her courage and the work she did with her husband, Martin Luther King Jr., who had a dream of peace and equality.</p><p>For Shane, it&#x92;s an awe-inspiring moment. Just weeks ago he released another children&#x92;s book, &#x93;We March,&#x94; about King&#x92;s march on Washington in 1963. His career has revolved around King&#x92;s dream &#x97; the idea of being free to follow our dreams, big and small. Shane&#x92;s Kansas City studio is called Dream (<a href ="http://www.shaneevans.com" target="_blank">shaneevans.com</a>). And his iconic character, Olu, is always encouraging children to do just that.</p><p>&#x93;I am humbled by the experience,&#x94; says Shane, 40. &#x93;When an honor like this comes around, I think it&#x92;s bigger than the book. It&#x92;s about our community. We&#x92;re all a part of it. I hope we can all step outside our doors and see where the spirit of the Underground Railroad is living.&#x94;</p><p>That spirit, he says, is one of understanding, determination, love and taking a chance to help pull others up. He credits his neighbor, Alice Piggee-Wallack, known as Pastor Alice, for showing him that spirit. &#x93;Underground&#x94; was dedicated to Pastor Alice. He calls her the modern-day Harriett Tubman for her work at True Light Church and throughout the community, helping people who continue to struggle with their freedom and their dreams.</p><p>He says we all have a duty to lift up our community &#x97; not just black or white &#x97; but our entire community. </p><p>&#x93;My commitment is to help people dream and not feel bound by race, jobs, relationships or politics,&#x94; Shane says. &#x93;We all have the freedom to follow our dreams. We all have very different dreams, but we also have dreams that are exactly the same. That is how we relate to one another in great way. And it means a lot that I can spread that message through my art.&#x94;