Suggested Family Activity • Learn About Eloise Greenfield 📚
Earlier this month, award-winning author Eloise Greenfield passed away at the age of 92. Greenfield was one of the first children’s picture book writers to feature African American families and their frustrations, as well as the joyous parts of their lives. Her work was so influential, she was awarded the prestigious Coretta Scott King – Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2018 by the American Library Association in recognition for her trailblazing career. For more information about the life and works of Eloise Greenfield, check out this article from the Washington Post
Several of Greenfield’s works are available through your local library branches. Childtimes: A Three-Generation Memoir is her account of three African-American women – herself, her mother, and her grandmother, and their lives during the 1880’s through the 1950’s. The picture book First Pink Light is the story of a little boy waiting up to welcome his dad home from his night shift, while Night on Neighborhood Street is a collection of poems. Other titles include the picture books Grandmama’s Joy, Me and Neesie, Talk About a Family, and the board book I Make Music. Greenfield also wrote several biographies of important historical figures, including one about Rosa Parks.
