20 Picture Books by Eloise Greenfield

“I write with the hope that my work will inspire, in children, a love for themselves, a love for language and literature, and a commitment to human values.”—Eloise Greenfield Black Books Galore (1998)

In 2018 poet and author, Eloise Greenfield was awarded the prestigious Coretta Scott King-Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement. The award is given “to an African American author, illustrator or author/illustrator for a body of . . . published books for children and/or young adults, and who has made a significant and lasting literary contribution.” Greenfield, born on May 17, 1929, truly embodies the spirit of the Virginia Hamilton Award. As her 92nd birthday approaches, this appreciation post celebrates Eloise Greenfield who has published over 40 children’s books, including Childtimes: A Three-Generation Memoir and I Can Do It by Myself, co-authored with her mother, Lessie Jones Little. The 20 fiction and nonfiction picture books featured cover various topics ranging from parties and puppies to midwives and Michael Jordan. Artist Jan Spivey Gilchrist has collaborated with Greenfield on many of the books, but other esteemed Black artists, such as Jerry Pinkney, Tom Feelings, Carole Byard, Amos Ferguson, Floyd Cooper, and more have contributed art to her books. Do you have a favorite Eloise Greenfield book? There are so many gems to choose from, and a new one, Alaina and the Great Play, will release on May 10th. Thank you, Eloise Greenfield, for your wonderful contribution to children’s literature.

Alaina and the Great Play

The Women Who Caught the Babies: A Story of African American Midwives

Thinker: My Puppy Poet and Me

PAR-TAY! Dance of the Veggies (and Their Friends)

The Great Migration: Journey to the North

Brothers & Sisters: Family Poems

When the Horses Ride By: Children in the Times of War

The Friendly Four

In the Land of Words

Honey, I Love

For the Love of the Game: Michael Jordan and Me

Night on Neighborhood Street

Africa Dream

Under the Sunday Tree

Grandpa’s Face

Daydreamers

Tom Feelings | Dial | 1981 | Amazon | IndieBound

Honey, I Love and Other Poems

Mary McLeod Bethune

Paul Robeson

She Come Bringing Me that Little Baby Girl

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