Thomas has been one of three to five finalists for the Coretta Scott King Award three times, in 1984 for "Bright Shadow", in 1994 for "Brown Honey in Broomwheat Tea", and in 2009 for "The Blacker the Berry" in 2009. Part of the American Library Association program, every year the King Award honors the "most distinguished portrayal of African American experience in literature for children or teens".