PROVIDENCE — The Paul Cuffee School, a charter school, has received a donation of 80 books published by or about black authors. It was one of three organizations selected to win the 2008 Coretta Scott King Review Books Award.

The contest is an offshoot of the American Library Association’s Coretta Scott King Book Award, which is given to black authors and illustrators for their inspirational and educational contributions. Both awards honor the legacy of King for her commitment to continuing the work of her late husband, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Beginning in 2003, the program was created to distribute copies of nearly 300 books submitted each year to the American Library Association. Grant recipients are chosen from among preschools, homeless shelters, charter schools and underfunded libraries around the world. Organizers believe that “books and reading can only add value to children’s lives if books are present . . . along with opportunities to read and be read to.”

Other 2008 winners include the United Youth Action for Progress in Uganda and the PEAK Learning Center in Colorado. United Youth Action feeds, shelters and educates 300 homeless children orphaned by the civil war in Uganda. The PEAK Center, like Cuffee, opened in the fall of 2001 and its population targets disadvantaged students in grades 3 through 5 who read well below grade level.

Cuffee serves 442 kindergarten through grade 8 students. Its mission is to develop personal initiative, respect for others and responsibility to the community. Its curriculum is built around the area’s maritime culture.