ELOISE GREENFIELD 

Meet Eloise

The author of more than a dozen prize-winning books for children, Eloise Greenfield has helped give black youngsters a literature about their own life experiences. Greenfield’s simple yet eloquent tales cover the familiar territory of childhood, from fantasies to fears, even to living with disabilities. The characters in her books wrestle with all the challenges of growing up as seen from a black American perspective. According to Betty Valdes in the Interracial Books for Children Bulletin, Greenfield “consistently… illuminates key aspects of the black experience in a way that underlines both its uniqueness and its universality.”

As an author, Greenfield feels she has an important—indeed essential—task. Despite the limitations of the written word, she told Horn Book Magazine, literature can leave a lasting effect on young minds. “I want to encourage children to develop positive attitudes toward themselves and their abilities, to love themselves,” she stated. “As for abilities—self-confidence is half the battle. Children must be able to face their mistakes and weaknesses without losing sight of their strengths.”