Bernette Ford, the first African American publisher of children’s books at a major publishing company, died of cancer on June 20. Greenfield’s death was the third recent loss of pioneers instrumental in the creation and promotion of books for or about Black children. Eloise Greenfield with her son, Steve, and daughter, Monica, at the 2003 Hurston/Wright Foundation's annual Legacy Awards Gala, where she was awarded the North Star Award. “As her vision became worse, she would dictate her thoughts and I would type them,” Monica Greenfield said. Greenfield was blind by the time she had a fatal stroke, but her devotion to children pushed her to keep writing, with some assistance from several devices and her daughter, Monica Greenfield. “She set out to counter the blatant misrepresentation of African Americans in mainstream literature and media and to contribute to Black children, recognizing their beauty and love.” "Has an open accessibility, with its big print and visually inviting pages, and an upbeat warmth.“My mom wrote from a love of craft, a love of words, and a strong sense of mission and purpose,” said her son, Steve Greenfield. "A lively tribute to children’s imagination as well as an inviting introduction to free verse." - Kirkus Reviews "Idealistic and nostalgic Perfect for classroom readers’ theater or as a way for a young child to share reading with an older sibling or parent." - Horn Book Magazine "Lively, occasionally rhyming poems celebrate the friendship of kids from different families. "This accessible and well-written book has a nostalgic tone." - School Library Journal She was inducted into the Society of Illustrators in 2001 and into the International Literary Hall of Fame for Writers of African Descent in 1999. She won the Coretta Scott King Award for her illustrations in Nathaniel Talking and a Coretta Scott King Honor for her illustrations in Night on Neighborhood Street, all written by Eloise Greenfield. Gilchrist illustrated the highly acclaimed picture book The Great Migration: Journey to the North, winner of the Coretta Scott King Honor Award, a Junior Library Guild Best Book, an NAACP Image Award nominee, a CCBC Best Book, and a Georgia State Children's Book Award nominee. Jan Spivey Gilchrist is the award-winning illustrator-author of seventy-four children's books. 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. She received many awards, including the 2018 Coretta Scott King - Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement. She was the author of forty-eight children’s books including Honey, I Love and Other Poems and The Great Migration. Eloise Greenfield’s first book was published in 1972.
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