Author Profile
Eloise Greenfield
16 Books
Eloise Greenfield was an influential author and poet whose books center on Black family life, history, music, and everyday joy. Her extensive body of work includes the beloved poetry collection Honey, I Love, as well as Africa Dream and the multi-generational memoir Childtimes. She wrote numerous picture books, biographies, and chapter books that resonate deeply with young readers. Greenfield dedicated her career to providing children with empowering and positive representations of African American communities.
Rosa Parks did not set out to become a symbol. She was a quiet, determined woman who knew that unfair rules were wrong.
This biography introduces young readers to Rosa Parks’s childhood in Montgomery, Alabama, the segregation laws that shaped daily life, and the courageous bus protest that helped spark the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Eloise Greenfield presents Parks as more than one famous moment: a person with patience, strength, and a deep belief in justice.
Clear and accessible for elementary readers, the book offers an important entry point into the Civil Rights Movement. It shows how one act of resistance, joined with the efforts of a community, became part of a larger struggle for equal rights.
6-8 Years
9-12 Years
64 Pages
Mary McLeod Bethune grew up in South Carolina after the Civil War, when school opportunities for Black children were painfully limited. She wanted education—not just for herself, but for many others.
This biography follows Bethune’s determination to learn, teach, and build better opportunities for African American students. Eloise Greenfield presents her as an educator and leader whose work grew from courage, discipline, and a powerful belief that children deserved the chance to study and succeed.
Written for young readers, Mary McLeod Bethune offers a clear introduction to an important figure in American history. It is a meaningful choice for children learning about education, perseverance, Black history, women’s history, and people who worked to make lasting change.
6-8 Years
9-12 Years
44 Pages
Rhondy wants Grandmama to smile again. She tries a song, a dance, and a little gift from outside, but Grandmama’s sadness stays.
Their home may have to change, and that worry feels heavy. Still, Rhondy remembers something Grandmama once said about her: she is Grandmama’s joy. Maybe the strongest comfort is not a performance or a present, but a reminder that they still have each other.
Grandmama’s Joy is a quiet, loving picture book about family, reassurance, and the bond between a child and grandparent. Eloise Greenfield’s gentle story and Carole Byard’s illustrations create a warm portrait of a young child offering hope in a difficult moment.
6-8 Years
36 Pages
A child’s dream opens into Africa—alive with animals, marketplaces, old words, village life, and the feeling of deep family roots.
Africa Dream is a lyrical picture book about imagination, heritage, and longing. Eloise Greenfield’s poetic language follows an African American child into a dream of ancestral connection, while Carole Byard’s artwork helps create a world that feels distant, beautiful, and deeply personal.
Young readers can enter the story as a journey of wonder: a child looking beyond everyday life and picturing a place connected to family history. Gentle, musical, and reflective, this award-winning book invites children to think about ancestry, memory, and the dreams that help us understand where we come from.
6-8 Years
34 Pages
Daydreams can hold wishes, memories, questions, and whole worlds that no one else can see.
In Daydreamers, Eloise Greenfield’s poems give voice to the inner lives of children—their hopes, yearnings, friendships, and quiet thoughts. Tom Feelings’s expressive portraits deepen the collection, showing Black boys and girls with sensitivity and care.
This illustrated poetry book is thoughtful and accessible, inviting readers to slow down and notice the feelings that live beneath ordinary moments. For children who enjoy poems about real life, imagination, and the private space of dreams, Daydreamers offers a warm, reflective reading experience shaped by two celebrated creators working in harmony.
6-8 Years
9-12 Years
32 Pages
Thinker is not an ordinary puppy. He notices the world, turns thoughts into poems, and shares a secret talent with his boy, Jace.
Jace is a poet too, and together they find rhythm and meaning in everyday things. But Thinker has to stay quiet around other people, especially at school. On Pets’ Day, when Thinker finally gets to join Jace’s class, keeping his poetic voice hidden becomes much harder.
Thinker: My Puppy Poet and Me is a playful, gentle poetry story about friendship, self-expression, and being brave enough to let others see who you really are. Eloise Greenfield’s poems and Ehsan Abdollahi’s artwork make this an inviting choice for young readers who love dogs, words, and warm classroom stories.
6-8 Years
40 Pages
Bright paintings and lively poems carry you into the Bahamas, where everyday life glows with color, humor, music, and warmth.
Under the Sunday Tree brings together twenty poems by Eloise Greenfield inspired by the vibrant paintings of Bahamian artist Amos Ferguson. The poems celebrate moments of Caribbean life: friendship, beauty, play, reflection, and the rhythms of a place seen with affection.
This illustrated poetry collection is joyful and welcoming for young readers, with language that can be read aloud and artwork that invites close looking. It is a strong choice for children exploring poetry, art, culture, and the way pictures and words can speak to each other.
6-8 Years
52 Pages
Kevin asked for a baby brother. Mama comes home with a little baby girl instead.
At first, Kevin is disappointed and jealous. This new sister is not what he imagined, and everyone seems to expect him to be happy right away. But as he spends time with the baby, he begins to understand that being a big brother may be more important—and more special—than he thought.
She Come Bringing Me That Little Baby Girl is a warm picture book about new siblings, changing feelings, and family love. Eloise Greenfield captures a child’s honest reaction to a new baby, while John Steptoe’s illustrations bring tenderness and emotional depth to Kevin’s growing sense of his place in the family.
6-8 Years
36 Pages
Words can come from memories, music, dreams, questions, and the things you notice when your mind is wide open.
In the Land of Words gathers twenty-one poems by Eloise Greenfield, including new and selected favorites. The collection celebrates reading, writing, imagination, family, music, and the creative spark that helps a poem begin.
This illustrated poetry book invites young readers to think of language as a place they can enter—a place where feelings and ideas become rhythm, sound, and meaning. With poems such as In the Land of Words, Books, Poem, Nathaniel’s Rap, and Way Down in the Music, it offers an inspiring introduction to one of children’s literature’s important poetic voices.
6-8 Years
9-12 Years
58 Pages
Paul Robeson’s voice carried across stages and countries, but his life was about more than fame.
This biography introduces readers to Robeson as a scholar, athlete, actor, singer, and civil rights activist. Born in 1898, he learned early to value words, pride, and standing up for what he believed was right. As his talent brought him international attention, he also saw injustice and used his public voice to speak for freedom and equal rights.
Eloise Greenfield presents Robeson with dignity and clarity, showing both his achievements and the challenges he faced because of racism and political pressure. This book offers young readers a meaningful look at art, courage, activism, and a life shaped by principle.
6-8 Years
9-12 Years
48 Pages
Tamika knows Grandpa’s face better than almost anyone. It can be warm, funny, proud, and full of love.
Then one day she sees him rehearsing for a play, wearing a face that looks hard and angry. Suddenly Tamika worries: could Grandpa ever look at her that way? Could his love change?
Grandpa’s Face is a tender picture book about a child’s fear and the steady comfort of family love. Eloise Greenfield gently captures how confusing grown-up emotions can seem, while Floyd Cooper’s illustrations bring warmth and depth to Tamika’s world. This is a reassuring story for readers who are learning that people can show many feelings and still keep love at the center.
6-8 Years
36 Pages
Families packed their hopes, courage, memories, and children, then traveled north toward new lives.
The Great Migration: Journey to the North uses poems and collage artwork to honor the many African American families who left homes in the South for cities in the North. Eloise Greenfield and Jan Spivey Gilchrist draw from their own family histories, connecting personal memory to a major movement in American history.
This thoughtful picture book introduces young readers to migration, change, bravery, and belonging in language that is lyrical but clear. Each poem offers a glimpse of what it meant to leave behind familiar places while carrying dreams for a safer, fuller future.
6-8 Years
9-12 Years
36 Pages
Alaina is ready for the school play, and the excitement feels almost too big to hold.
She has an important job: as a kindergartner, she will thank the audience after the performance. But when the magic of live theater sweeps her up and she finds herself center stage, the words she planned do not come out the way she expected.
Alaina and the Great Play is a joyful picture book about imagination, performance, and the thrill of discovering theater for the first time. Eloise Greenfield captures Alaina’s wonder and nervous excitement with warmth, while Colin Bootman’s illustrations help bring the school play and Alaina’s big feelings to life for young readers.
6-8 Years
32 Pages
Evening settles on Neighborhood Street, but the world does not go quiet all at once.
In this collection of poems, Eloise Greenfield follows the sounds, sights, feelings, and small moments of a Black neighborhood during one night. Families gather, children notice the world around them, and ordinary scenes take on a gentle, almost magical glow.
Night on Neighborhood Street is warm, lyrical, and peaceful, with Jan Spivey Gilchrist’s dreamy illustrations helping readers feel the life of the community. The book is a welcoming introduction to poetry for children who enjoy stories of family, neighborhoods, nighttime, and the beauty found in everyday places.
6-8 Years
9-12 Years
46 Pages
Janell and Neesie do everything together. Neesie may be invisible to Mama and Daddy, but to Janell she is very real.
Neesie is a constant companion—mischievous, comforting, and always nearby. Then Aunt Bea comes to visit, and school begins to change Janell’s days. Little by little, Janell must figure out what happens to an imaginary friend when the world grows bigger.
Me and Neesie is a gentle picture book about imagination, friendship, and new experiences. Eloise Greenfield treats Janell’s private world with respect and warmth, creating a reassuring story for children who are beginning school, growing more independent, or learning that beloved make-believe friends can have a special place in the heart.
6-8 Years
44 Pages
The world is full of wonderful things to cherish, from the rhythm of a fast train to the comfort of family. Through a beautiful collection of heartfelt verses, a young girl shares the many pieces of her everyday life that fill her with absolute joy. She celebrates the simple pleasures of looking pretty, playing with friends, spending quiet time by herself, and learning about inspiring heroes like Harriet Tubman. Every page radiates with warmth, capturing the laughter, wonder, and curiosity of childhood. This tender exploration of love and self discovery invites young readers to pause and appreciate the small, beautiful moments that make life so special. It is a joyful reminder to embrace the people, places, and memories that make our hearts sing.
6-8 Years
