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Eloise Greenfield

Eloise Greenfield's illustrious list of books for young people includes The Friendly Four, a Texas 2x2 Reading List book for 2007, and In the Land of Words, an NCTE 2005 Notable Children's Book in the Language Arts, both illustrated by Jan Spivey Gilchrist, as well as Honey, I Love and Other Love Poems, named a distinguished book by the Association of Children's Librarians. She is a recipient of the Virginia Hamilton Literary Award; the Coretta Scott King Award; the Milner Award; the Hope S. Dean Award from the Foundation for Children's Literature; and the NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children. Ms. Greenfield lives in Washington, D.C.

Born May 17, 1929 Greenfield is famous for her descriptive, rhythmic style and positive portrayal of the black experience.

Dismayed by the depiction of blacks and black communities in popular media, Greenfield has focused her work on realistic but positive portrayals of African-American communities, families and friendships. These relationships are emphasized in Sister (1974) a young girl copes with the death of a parent with the help of other family members, Me and Nessie (1975) about best friends, My Daddy and I (1991) and Big Friend, Little Friend (1991) about mentoring.  Her first book, Bubbles (1972), "sets the tone for much of Greenfield's later work: Realistic portrayals of loving African American parents working hard to provide for their families, and the children who face life's challenges with a positive outlook."1

 

The Great Migration: Journey to the North
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Reading level: Baby-Preschool
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Amistad (December 21, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0061259217
ISBN-13: 978-0061259210
Product Dimensions: 11 x 9 x 0.2 inches

 

large imageHoney, I Love and Other Love Poems (Reading Rainbow Series)
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Reading level: Ages 7-12
Paperback: 48 pages
Publisher: HarperCollins (May 23, 1986)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0064430979
ISBN-13: 978-0064430975
Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 5.1 x 0.2 inches


An ALA Notable Children's Book

HONEY, I LOVE
and other love poems

Love don't mean all that kissing
Like on television
Love Means Daddy
Saying keep your mama company
till I get back
And me doing it

Sixteen poems tell of love and the simple joys of everyday life, seen through the eyes of a child: playing with a friend, skipping rope, riding on a train--or keeping Mama company till Daddy gets back.

Each of these sixteen "love poems" is spoken straight from the heart of a child. Riding on a train, listening to music, playing with a friend...each poem elicits a new appreciation of the rich content of everyday life. And each poem is accompanied by a beautiful drawing, both portrait and panorama, that deepens the insights contained in the singing words.
For the first time Eloise Greenfield and Diane and Leo Dillon have combined teir rich talents to bring children a book that shows them the joys that come from seeing with a poet's eyes--the eyes of love.

Notable Children's Books of 1978 (ALA)

A Reading Rainbow Selection
Winner, 1990 Recognition of Merit Award (George C. Stone Center for Children's Books, Claremont, CA)

 

large imageGrandpa's Face
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Reading level: Ages 4-8
Paperback: 32 pages
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile (May 7, 1996)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0698113810
ISBN-13: 978-0698113817
Product Dimensions: 10 x 8.1 x 0.2 inches


This picture book tells the reassuring story of family love and the special bond between a grandparent and grandchild. The little girl knows her grandfather's expressions until one day she sees him practising for the theatre, his appearance frightens her.

 

large imageIn the Land of Words: New and Selected Poems
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Reading level: Ages 4-8
Hardcover: 48 pages
Publisher: Amistad; 1 edition (December 23, 2003)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0060289937
ISBN-13: 978-0060289935
Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.8 x 0.4 inches


The words can come from a memory, or a dream, or something I see or hear or wonder about or imagine. . . . Maybe there's a place where words live, where our minds and hearts can go and find them when we want to write or read. I like to imagine that there is such a place. I call it "The Land of Words."

In this collection of twenty-one poems, National Council of Teachers of English Excellence in Poetry for Children Award winner Eloise Greenfield journeys to a place where words, creativity, and imagination abound. Featuring the poems "In the Land of Words," "Books," and "Poem," as well as favorites such as "Nathaniel's Rap" and "Way Down in the Music," this tribute to the written word invites readers to look within themselves and discover what inspires them.

 

large imageShe Come Bringing Me That Little Baby Girl
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Reading level: Ages 4-8
Paperback: 32 pages
Publisher: HarperCollins (January 30, 1993)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0064432963
ISBN-13: 978-0064432962
Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.9 x 0.1 inches


A young boy resolves his disappointment with his new baby sister by becoming an older brother.‘How he changed his opinion about his sister is developed in a . . . visual and verbal paean to familial love.’ —H.‘[The] pictures are superb.’ —Washington Post.

Notable Children's Books of 1971–1975 (ALA)
1974 Boston Globe–Horn Book Award Honor Book
Children's Choices for 1975 (IRA/CBC)
1975 Irma Simonton Black Award (Bank St. College of Ed.)

 

large imageUnder the Sunday Tree
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Reading level: Ages 4-8
Paperback: 48 pages
Publisher: HarperCollins (January 30, 1991)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0064432572
ISBN-13: 978-0064432573
Product Dimensions: 10 x 7.9 x 0.2 inches


‘Too special for just once-a-week reading, Eloise Greenfield's 20 exuberant poems are matched by the bright colors of Mr. Amos Ferguson's life-filled paintings. His native Caribbean glows as vividly in the words as in the full-page primitive pictures. . . . A perfect collaboration between two master imagemakers." 'SLJ.

1988 Coretta Scott King Award Honor Book for Illustration
Notable Children's Books of 1988 (ALA)
Children's Books of 1989 (Library of Congress)

 

large imageFor the Love of the Game: Michael Jordan and Me (Trophy Picture Books)
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Reading level: Ages 9-12
Paperback: 32 pages
Publisher: HarperCollins; First Scholastic Printing edition (December 17, 1998)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0064435555
ISBN-13: 978-0064435550
Product Dimensions: 11.7 x 8.8 x 0.2 inches


This inspiring poem encourages children to view life with the same determination and passion that Michael Jordan displays in how he plays basketball.By listening to their inner voice and looking to those who love and support them, children can find their own way to fly. Distinguished poet Eloise Greenfield and celebrated artist Jan Spivey Gilchrist honor the beauty of the human spirit and offer a timeless message that will resonate with readers young and old.

 

Bubbles
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Greenfield's 1st Book

Paperback
Publisher: Drum and Spear Press; 1St Edition edition (1972)
ISBN-10: 0877823014
ISBN-13: 978-0877823018
 

 

large imageSister
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Paperback: 96 pages
Publisher: HarperCollins (June 26, 1987)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0064401995
ISBN-13: 978-0064401999
Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.1 x 0.2 inches


‘Doretha is thirteen, black, and confused by her ambivalence about herself. . . . Leafing through her diary, Doretha remembers—and each memory of the past four years reveals something about her and about the people she has loved.The book is strong in perception, in its sensitivity, in its realism.’ —C.
Outstanding Children’s Books of 1974 (NYT)

 

large imageMy Daddy and I
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Reading level: Ages 4-8
Board book: 12 pages
Publisher: Writers & Readers Publishing (August 1991)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0863162061
ISBN-13: 978-0863162060
Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 6.4 x 0.8 inches


The creators of Nathaniel Talking and Night on Neighborhood Street here introduce a series of board books featuring black children that describe everyday activities familiar to all kids. The first three books are written in simple, if occasionally strained, rhyming verse and concern a boy and girl who play with a doll; a girl and her parents who make music together; and a boy and his dad doing household chores. The fourth--and strongest--story, told by a boy who enjoys playing with two friends is written in pithy sentences that beginning readers will easily master. The volumes' themes of the rewards of working and playing together are reinforced by Gilchrist's cheerful if repetitious illustrations, which focus on each tale's characters but contain little background detail. Ages 2-6.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

 

large imageChildtimes: A Three-Generation Memoir
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Reading level: Ages 4-8
Paperback: 192 pages
Publisher: HarperCollins (January 30, 1993)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0064461343
ISBN-13: 978-0064461344
Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 6.7 x 0.5 inches


Eloise Greenfield‘Three [African-American] women—grandmother, mother, daughter—recall significant aspects of their respective childhoods [from the 1800s through the 1950s].The effect is poignant and moving [as familiar patterns develop]: household chores, school life and socials, encounters with prejudice, love of family, pride of heritage.’ —H.

Notable 1979 Children’s Trade Books in Social Studies (NCSS/CBC)
1980 Carter G. Woodson Outstanding Merit Book (NCSS)
1979 Children's Book Show (American Institute of Graphic Arts)
Children's Books of 1979 (Library of Congress)

 

large imageHoney, I Love
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Reading level: Baby-Preschool
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Amistad; 1st edition (December 24, 2002)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0060091231
ISBN-13: 978-0060091231
Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 9.1 x 0.3 inches


To one young narrator, it's the simple things that mean the most, like sharing laughter with a friend, taking family rides in the country, and kissing her mama's arm.

When this poem was first published in 1978 in Honey, I Love and Other Love Poems, Eloise Greenfield reminded us that love can be found just about anywhere. Now, twenty-five years later, she and celebrated children's book artist Jan Spivey Gilchrist present a stunning, newly illustrated anniversary edition that invites readers to celebrate the simple joys of loving and living.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
By Myself

When I'm by myself
And I close my eyes
I'm a twin
I'm a dimple in a chin
I'm a room full of toys
I'm a squeaky noise
I'm a gospel song
I'm a gong
I'm a leaf turning red
I'm a loaf of brown bread
I'm a whatever I want to be
An anything I care to be
And when I open my eyes
What I care to be
Is me

 

large imageBrothers and Sisters: Family Poems
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Reading level: Ages 4-8
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Amistad (December 23, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0060562846
ISBN-13: 978-0060562847
Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 8.7 x 0.5 inches


Brothers and sisters can be dear, can be company, can bring cheer, can start arguments, can make noise, can cause tears, can break toys . . .

Brothers and brothers. Sisters and sisters. Brothers and sisters. Full, half, step, old and young, close in age and far apart. The bond between all siblings is powerful and special. Celebrate the love of brothers and sisters everywhere with award-winning author Eloise Greenfield in this poignant collection of poems for and about families, illustrated by renowned artist Jan Spivey Gilchrist in pen and ink and vibrant watercolor.

 

large imagePaul Robeson
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Reading level: Ages 9-12
Paperback: 40 pages
Publisher: Lee & Low Books (March 30, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1600602622
ISBN-13: 978-1600602627
Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.7 x 0.2 inches


The legendary activist, singer, and actor receives a fitting update to Greenfield's stirring 1975 biography (HarperCollins, o.p.). From his father's escape from slavery to Robeson's rise in celebrity and stature, the purposeful text highlights the monumental influences on this man's multifaceted life. Robeson's outcry against racism abroad and his subsequent struggle under McCarthyism reveal the tumultuous conditions during the Civil Rights Movement. Succinct phrases depict the public's faltering opinion of Robeson's controversial beliefs and his perseverance in the face of adversity. Vibrant, monochromatic acrylic illustrations from the original edition use shading and depth to convey tremendous emotion. Powerful movements and vivid expressions enhance the narrative. Against a rich, cream background, fluid lines convey a bold intensity. An updated afterword describes the activist's numerous posthumous accolades, including his Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. This book offers a fully developed portrayal of the man. --School Library Journal 

 

large imageBig Friend, Little Friend
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Reading level: Ages 4-8
Board book: 12 pages
Publisher: Writers & Readers Publishing (August 1991)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0863162045
ISBN-13: 978-0863162046
Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.5 inches

 

 

 

 

large imageWhen the Horses Ride by: Children in the Times of War
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Reading level: Ages 9-12
Paperback: 40 pages
Publisher: Lee & Low Books (April 30, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1600604544
ISBN-13: 978-1600604546
Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 10.6 x 0.2 inches

 

 

 

 

large imageDaydreamers
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Reading level: Ages 4-8
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Dial (January 1, 1981)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0803721374
ISBN-13: 978-0803721371
Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 8.8 x 0.5 inches


Depicts the world of daydreamers.

 

Me and Nessie
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Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers (January 1, 1984)

 

Plus Many More

1 Portions of bio excerpted from Wikipedia