“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
Colin Bootman | Alazar Press | 2021 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
The Women Who Caught the Babies: A Story of African American Midwives
Daniel Minter | Alazar Press | 2019 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
Thinker: My Puppy Poet and Me
Ehsan Abdollahi | Sourcebooks Jabberwocky | 2019 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
PAR-TAY! Dance of the Veggies (and Their Friends)
Don Tate | Alazar Press | 2018 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
The Great Migration: Journey to the North
Jan Spivey Gilchrist | HarperCollins | 2010 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
Brothers & Sisters: Family Poems
Jan Spivey Gilchrist | HarperCollins | 2008 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
When the Horses Ride By: Children in the Times of War
Jan Spivey Gilchrist | Lee & Low Books | 2010 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
The Friendly Four
Jan Spivey Gilchrist | HarperCollins | 2006 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
In the Land of Words
Jan Spivey Gilchrist | HarperCollins | 2003 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
Honey, I Love
Jan Spivey Gilchrist | HarperCollins | 2002 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
For the Love of the Game: Michael Jordan and Me
Jan Spivey Gilchrist | Collins | 1998 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
Night on Neighborhood Street
Jan Spivey Gilchrist | Puffin Books | 1996 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
Africa Dream
Carole Byard | HarperCollins | 1991 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
Under the Sunday Tree
Amos Ferguson | HarperCollins | 1991 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
Grandpa’s Face
Floyd Cooper | Puffin Books | 1996 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
Daydreamers
Tom Feelings | Dial | 1981 | Amazon | IndieBound
Honey, I Love and Other Poems
Leo and Diane Dillon | HarperCollins | 1986 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
Mary McLeod Bethune
Jerry Pinkney | HarperCollins | 1994 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
Paul Robeson
George Ford | Lee & Low Books | 2009 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
She Come Bringing Me that Little Baby Girl
John Steptoe | HarperCollins | 1993 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound
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