Eloise Greenfield’s first book was published in 1972. She was the author of forty-eight children’s books including
Honey, I Love and Other Poems and
The Great Migration. She received many awards, including the 2018 Coretta Scott King - Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement. Eloise was a beloved children’s book creator whose pioneering voice, especially for the Black American experience, has made her an inspiration to many generations of readers.
Carole Byard (1941-2017), who also illustrated the biography Arthur Mitchell and Lessie Jones Little and Eloise Greenfield's I Can Do It by Myself, was a brilliant painter whose first stay in Africa was on a grant from the Ford Foundation. She also made a second trip, to Nigeria, as a delegate to an international black arts conference. Her exciting pictures for Africa Dream reflect her loving study of African life and culture.