Mount Airy man wins award

"The Origins of Life on Earth: An African Creation Myth," published last year by Baltimore native Eric Diggs, last week won the prestigious Coretta Scott King Award for best children's book illustration.

The book was the first published by Mr. Diggs' Sights Productions, which is based in Mount Airy. He said Friday the firm will publish three more books this spring, including "The Rebellion of Humans," which will continue the story begun in "The Origins of Life on Earth."

"The Origins of Life on Earth" earlier was named the Best American Children's Book About Africa by the African Study Association. David A. Anderson, a noted African-American folklorist, wrote the text and Los Angeles artist Kathleen Atkins Wilson did the illustrations.

"The book came out of what I thought was a need for positive children's books," Mr. Diggs told The Sun in August.