July 19, 2021 | marianne
Floyd Cooper, award-winning author and illustrator of books for children, passed away July 15, 2021 at the age of 65. Below is a selection of works that showcase his stunning portrayals of Black history, and his fictional stories that capture slices of everyday life.
Books Written and Illustrated by Cooper
What was Michael Jordan like as a boy? You might be surprised that the greatest professional basketball player ever wasn't even the best player in his own family! Based on actual events, this story of a friendly sibling rivalry is enhanced by Floyd Cooper's stunning two-tone art.
Little Mazie wants the freedom to stay up late, but her father explains what freedom really means in the story of Juneteenth, and how her ancestors celebrated their true freedom.
When Max leaves his grandfather's house, the moon follows him all the way home, just as Grandpa promised it would.
Mama's getting married, and Jackson has an important job to do! A story about love, weddings, and the special joy that is a blended family.
Selected Works Illustrated By Cooper
The true story of how a ride on a carousel made a powerful Civil Rights statement. A Ride to Remember tells how a community came together--both black and white--to make a change.
From the back of the bus, an African American child watches the arrest of Rosa Parks.
Ben, a young slave, uses every chance he gets to teach himself to read. But after the Civil War breaks out, Ben finds himself in a slave prison. One night, the prisoners bribe a guard to get their hands on a newspaper....and Ben reads aloud the momentous news of Mr. Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation.
Celebrated author Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrator Floyd Cooper provide a powerful look at the 1921 Tulsa race massacre, one of the worst incidents of racial violence in our nation's history.
Rodney is that kid who just can't sit still. He's inside, but he wants to be outside. Outside is where Rodney always wants to be. Between school and home, there is a park. He knows all about that park. It's that triangle-shaped place with the yellow grass and two benches where grown-ups sit around all day. Besides, his momma said to stay away from that park. When Rodney finally gets a chance to go to a real park, with plenty of room to run and climb and shout, and to just be himself, he will never be the same.