How will Gregory find his way back to Dad? Swish-swoosh . . . Gregory draws a lion in the sand. “Don’t go in the water, and don’t leave Sandy,” warns Dad. But the sandy lion grows a tail that gets longer and longer—and soon Gregory is lost on the beach.
| Author | Karen Lynn Williams |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 2010 |
| Publisher | Astra Publishing House |
This lyrical celebration of the miracle of Christmas is now just the right size for little hands! Margaret Wise Brown’s simple, poetic language brought to life by Floyd Cooper’s spectacular paintings offer a fresh perspective on the Holy Family and the miraculous birth of Christ.
| Author | Margaret Wise Brown |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 2003 |
| Publisher | Hyperion Books (Jump at the Sun) |
Little ballerinas have big dreams. Dreams of pirouettes and grande jetes, dreams of attending the best ballet schools and of dancing starring roles on stage. But in Harlem in the 1950s, dreams don’t always come true—they take a lot of work and a lot of hope. And sometimes hope is hard to come by.
But the first African-American prima ballerina, Janet Collins, did make her dreams come true. And those dreams inspired ballerinas everywhere, showing them that the color of their skin couldn’t stop them from becoming a star.
In a lyrical tale as beautiful as a dance en pointe, Kristy Dempsey and Floyd Cooper tell the story of one little ballerina who was inspired by Janet Collins to make her own dreams come true.
| Author | Kristy Dempsey |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 2014 |
| Publisher | Penguin |
Today is a special day. Eli knows it’s important if he’s allowed to miss one second of school, his “hard-earned right.”
Inspired by true events and told through the eyes of a young boy, this is the deeply moving story about what is regarded as the first Memorial Day on May 1, 1865. Eli dresses up in his best clothes, Mama gathers the mayflowers, Papa straightens his hat, and together they join the crowds filling the streets of Charleston, South Carolina, with bouquets, crosses, and wreaths. Abolitionists, missionaries, teachers, military officers, and a sea of faces Black, Brown, and white, they march as one and sing for all those who gave their lives fighting for freedom during the Civil War.
With poignant prose and celebratory, powerful illustrations, A Day for Rememberin’ shines light on the little-known history of this important holiday and reminds us never to forget the people who put their lives on the line for their country
| Author | Leah Henderson |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 2021 |
| Publisher | Abrams |
A Ride to Remember tells how a community came together—both Black and white—to make a change. When Sharon Langley was born in the early 1960s, many amusement parks were segregated, and African American families were not allowed entry. This book reveals how in the summer of 1963, due to demonstrations and public protests, the Gwynn Oak Amusement Park in Maryland became desegregated and opened to all for the first time.
Coauthor Sharon Langley was the first African American child to ride the carousel. This was on the same day of Martin Luther King Jr.’s March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Langley’s ride to remember demonstrated the possibilities of King’s dream. This book includes photos of Sharon on the carousel, authors’ notes, a timeline, and a bibliography.
| Author | Sharon Langley and Amy Nathan |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 2020 |
| Publisher | Abrams |
After his resounding defeat at the battle of Yorktown, British general Charles Cornwallis made a point of touring the American camp, looking for the reason behind his loss. What he didn’t expect to see was James, an escaped enslaved person who had served as a guide to the British army. Or at least that’s what Cornwallis was led to believe. In fact, James wasn’t actually a runaway–he was a spy for the American army.
But while America celebrated its newfound freedom, James returned to slavery in Virginia. His service as a spy hadn’t qualified him for the release he’d been hoping for. For James the fight wasn’t over; his next adversary was the Virginia General Assembly. He’d already helped his country gain its freedom, now it was time to win his own.
| Author | Anne Rockwell |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 2016 |
| Publisher | Lerner |
From the ancient kingdom of Kush, whose black pharaohs ruled Egypt for nearly a century, to the sixteenth-century empire of the Kongo, whose emperor was so powerful he was able to halt the trade in slaves for a number of years, the African continent rang with a series of glorious civilizations that have had a lasting impact on the world’s history, and on American culture.
| Authors | James Haskins and Kathleen Benson |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 1998 |
| Publisher | HarperCollins Publishers (Amistad Press) |
It’s December 1, 1955.A boy and his mother are riding the bus in Montgomery, Alabama like any other day—way in the back of the bus. The boy passes time by watching his marble roll up and down the aisle with the motion of the bus…Until a big commotion breaks out from way up front.
| Author | Aaron Reynolds |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 2013 |
| Publisher | Penguin |
Christy’s mother always tells her to be good to Eddie Lee, a neighborhood child with Down’s Syndrome. But Christy wants to run and play — and not worry about Eddie Lee tagging along. One hot summer day, though, Eddie Lee takes Christy to a secret place in the woods and teaches her that beautiful things can be found in unexpected places.
| Author | Virginia Fleming |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 1997 |
| Publisher | Penguin |
The stunning voice and hard life of legendary jazz singer Billie Holiday is revealed through evocative, accessible poetry.
In 1915, Sadie Fagan gave birth to a daughter she named Eleanora. The world, however, would know her as Billie Holiday, possibly the greatest jazz singer of all time. Eleanora’s journey to become a legend took her through pain, poverty, and run-ins with the law. By the time she was fifteen, she knew she possessed something that could possibly change her life–a voice. Eleanora could sing. Her remarkable voice led her to a place in the spotlight with some of the era’s hottest big bands. Through a sequence of raw and poignant poems, New York Times best-selling and award-winning poet Carole Boston Weatherford chronicles the singer’s young life, her fight for survival, and the dream she pursued with passion.
| Author | Carole Boston Weatherford |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 2008 |
| Publisher | Astra Publishing House |
Ben, a young slave, uses every chance he gets to teach himself to read, practicing with the words he sees on street signs and in shop windows and even in cast-off newspapers he finds in the gutter.
But after the Civil War breaks out, his master leaves town and Ben finds himself in a slave prison. One night, the prisoners bribe a guard to get their hands on a newspaper, and to the applause of his fellow slaves, Ben reads aloud the momentous news of Mr. Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation — surely one of the most remarkable readings of that document ever.
Based on the true story of Benjamin Holmes, Pat Sherman’s stirring text and the memorable illustrations of Coretta Scott King medalist Floyd Cooper pay tribute to the power of freedom — and to the power of the written word.
| Author | Pat Sherman |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 2009 |
| Publisher | Eerdmans Books for Young Readers |
Between about 1500 and 1850, millions of Africans were captured and transported across the Atlantic in one of the most tragic ordeals in human history. In this objective and profoundly moving book, Haskins and Benson open with discussions of slavery thoughout history and of Europe and Africa at the time the African slave trade began, then closely examine every aspect of the Middle Passage. Included are sections on capturing the slaves, the march to the coast, the selection of slaves for purchase, conditions on slave ships, and slave revolts aboard ship.
| Authors | Kathleen Benson and James Haskins |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 1999 |
| Publisher | HarperCollins Publishers |
The home of the United States president was built by many hands, including those of slaves, who undertook this amazing achievement long before there were machines to do those same jobs.
Stirring and emotional, Floyd Cooper’s stunning illustrations bring to life the faces of those who endured hard, brutal work when the profit of their labor was paid to the master, not the slave. The fact that many were able to purchase their freedom after earning money from learning a trade speaks to the strength of those individuals. They created this iconic emblem of America, brick by brick.
| Author | Charles R. Smith, Jr. |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 2012 |
| Publisher | HarperCollins Publishers |
In these remarkable poems, Joyce Carol Thomas invites us to share in the love, tradition, and heritage of a young African-American girl and her family. The pride and simple beauty which fill these pages help us all to remember where we came from, to cherish who we are and to affirm our place in the world. This is a book of celebration for all ages to treasure.
| Author | Joyce Carol Thomas |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 1993 |
| Publisher | HarperCollins Publishers |
Jennifer barely has time to get to know the stray dog she has taken in before it runs off, only to be discovered many miles away on a golf course. The lovable blue heeler is taken in by two boys who name her Caddie and grow to love her as one of the family. Soon after, Caddie surprises her new owners with a litter of puppies. When the boys place an ad for free puppies in the paper, Jennifer is reunited with the dog she thought she had lost forever. The problem now is, where does Caddie belong? The boys’ generosity and self-sacrifice shines through in their willingness to let Caddie decide where she belongs. Based on a true story, this moving tale of a stray dog finding a home will capture readers’ hearts.
| Authors | Michael R. Sampson and Bill Martin Jr. |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 2002 |
| Publisher | Walker Childrens |
Christmas is coming! And all Chita can dream about is choosing her very own Christmas tree. “Mama!” Chita calls. “Mama! Is today the day?” “Yes,” says Mama. “Papa is almost ready.” And so Chita and her father set out in the buggy into the deep, snowy woods to find Chita’s very own Christmas tree. And when Christmas morning comes, Chita has many surprises, but none as beautiful as her tree—with its full and graceful branches and her name carved in its trunk.
| Author | Elizabeth Fitzgerald Howard |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 1989 |
| Publisher | Simon&Schuster |
Young Langston Hughes was a dreamer. He dreamed about heroes like Booker T. Washington, who was black just like him. When he heard the clackety-clack of train wheels, he dreamed about the places it had been. But most of all, he dreamed about having a happy home. And so, one day, he began turning those dreams into beautiful prose. As he did, he discovered where his home really was—in the words and rhythms of his poetry that reached people all over the world.
| Author | Floyd Cooper |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 1998 |
| Publisher | Penguin |
Tells the stories of various African Americans who made contributions to the settling of the American West, including Bill Pickett, Mary Fields, Lieutenant Henry O. Flipper, Alvin Coffey, Biddy Mason, and Jim Beckwourth.
| Author | Robert H. Miller |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 1998 |
| Publisher | Silver Burdett |
Four Navajo creation myths chronicle the exploits, antics, and adventures of Coyote the Trickster as he abducts the Water Monster’s babies and starts the Great Flood, tries to steal corn from the horned toad, and attempts to exchange his fur for that of a spotted fawn.
| Author | Gerald Hausman |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 1995 |
| Publisher | Penguin |
“Cumbayah” is an enduring campfire song for children and a source of inspiration for adults. Though its roots are in the African-American tradition, it speaks to people of many different cultures, ages, and religious. With power and grace, Floyd Cooper depicts scenes from everyday life that emphasize how people all over the world are united in spirit. Here is an uplifting book that, with its simple lyrics, can also help teach children to read and sing. A historical note and a musical arrangement are included.
| Author | Floyd Cooper |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 1998 |
| Publisher | HarperCollins Publishers |
“Daddy, Daddy, be there”. So begins each compelling verse in this warm appeal to fathers everywhere. Children want to share with their daddies–sandwiches, jokes, music, and dreams. No moment is too great or too small. Teachers change, friends move, grandparents die, but even during the hardest times, children ask “Daddy, be there”
| Author | Candy Dawson Boyd |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 1995 |
| Publisher | Penguin |
Grimes and Cooper return with another story told through poems about Danitra Brown and Zuri Jackson. This time, the friends exchange letters all summer long while Danitra is visiting relatives. Zuri starts out feeling angry and disappointed that Danitra is leaving her behind and doesn’t seem to care, but eventually both girls make new friends while they look forward to being together again.
| Author | Nikki Grimes |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 2002 |
| Publisher | HarperCollins Publishers |
Having recently moved to a new apartment in the city, Zakiya is afraid of the sounds she hears in the evenings, until her sister, Jamila, comforts her with her grandmother’s African tales, which seem to transform the noises of the city into the sounds of Africa.
| Author | Virginia L. Kroll |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 1998 |
| Publisher | Hachette Book Group |
Frederick Douglass was born into slavery in the South, taught himself to read, and grew up to become an icon. He was a leader of the abolitionist movement, a celebrated writer, an esteemed speaker, and a social reformer, proving that “once you learn to read, you will be forever free.”
The story of one of America’s most revered figures is brought to life by the text of award-winning author Walter Dean Myers and the sweeping, lush illustrations of artist Floyd Cooper. This picture book biography draws on Frederick Douglass’s autobiographies and includes a timeline, making it an excellent source for reports.
| Author | Walter Dean Myers |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 2017 |
| Publisher | HarperCollins Publishers |
In 1964’s Freedom Summer, one girl sees that nothing—not hatred, not fear, not anything else—can stand in the way of her learning about the world.
Jolie has a lot to be scared about since the new Freedom School teacher, Annie, came to town. Bricks thrown through windows in the dead of night, notes filled with hate, and now a fire has burned down the church where Annie was supposed to start teaching tomorrow! Without the church, how can she possibly teach Jolie and the other townspeople about black poets and artists, historians and inventors? Unless the people themselves fight back.
| Author | Amy Littlesugar |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 2001 |
| Publisher | Penguin |
Miss Ida’s porch is a place where adults recall their past and where the youngsters love to listen in. On one perfect night, tales are told about two great African American performers: Duke Ellington, who stayed at Mrs. Lomax’s house when he was shut out of whites-only hotels, and Marian Anderson, whose two historic concerts in Washington, DC, testified to the power of the civil rights movement.
| Author | Sandra Belton |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 1993 |
| Publisher | Simon&Schuster |
Poems for each month of the year celebrate the themes of family love, individuality, and Afro-American identity.
| Author | Joyce Carol Thomas |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 1995 |
| Publisher | HarperCollins Publishers |
Fluffy clouds, butterflies, furry bunnies, and life from a bug’s-eye view: This stunning sequel to the New York Times bestseller Goodnight Songs celebrates the beauty and wonder of nature all year long. Once again, a treasure trove of Margaret Wise Brown’s newly uncovered verses receives loving treatment from 12 award-winning artists, including Floyd Cooper, Peter Brown, David Small, Molly Idle, and Bob Staake. From a little bear singing one morning in May to a soft snowfall, mysterious, deep, and glowing, each song is magical.
| Author | Margaret Wise Brown |
| Illustrators | Floyd Cooper, Bob Staake, David Small, Molly Idle, Peter Brown, et al. |
| Date | 2015 |
| Publisher | Union Square Co. |
Tamika loves everything about her grandpa, especially his expressive face. But one day, when Tamika watches Grandpa rehearsing for a play, she sees a different face, one she has never seen before.
| Author | Eloise Greenfield |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 1988 |
| Publisher | Penguin |
Fourth-grader Jamal got in trouble with the principal for fighting with another boy over the backseat of the school bus. When Grandpa Joe finds out, he sits Jamal down to tell him about a time when black boys could only sit at the back of the bus and how Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. fought to change things with the Montgomery Bus Boycott. A glossary and selected historical photographs are included.
| Author | Kathryn Jones |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 1994 |
| Publisher | Simon&Schuster |
A collection of traditional and contemporary songs follows the historical journey of African Americans and includes such pieces as “Kumbaya,” “Follow the Drinking Gourd,” and “Freedom’s Coming and It Won’t Be Long.”
| Editors | Wade Hudson and Cheryl Willis Hudson |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 1995 |
| Publisher | Scholastic |
In the late 1880s, signs went up all around America: land was free in the Oklahoma territory. And it was free to everyone: Whites, Blacks, men and women alike. All one needed to stake a claim was hope and courage, strength and perseverance. Thousands of pioneers, many of them African-Americans newly freed from being enslaved, headed west to carve out a new life in the Oklahoma soil.
Drawing on her own family history, National Book Award winner Joyce Carol Thomas has crafted an unforgettable anthem to these brave and determined people. I Have Heard of a Land is a glorious tribute to the African-American pioneer spirit.
| Author | Joyce Carol Thomas |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 1998 |
| Publisher | HarperCollins Publishers |
Imani learns about Kwanzaa, the African American harvest festival, from her grandmother, and makes friends with a girl who has never been to Kwanzaa before.
| Author | Denise Burden-Patmon |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 1993 |
| Publisher | Simon&Schuster |
Lemons as big as oranges, the cool Pacific Ocean, mountains that rise up beyond the outstretched bay—California beckons as one girl makes her way west on a journey filled with excitement, hope, and the promise of a place where people from all paths come together and music fills the air.
This is the true story of author Joyce Carol Thomas’s trip from Oklahoma to California in 1948, when she moved there as a girl. During that time, many people went west, drawn by warmth and possibility, reflected in the people of all cultures and ethnicities who started a new life there.
| Author | Joyce Carol Thomas |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 2012 |
| Publisher | HarperCollins Publishers |
The inspiring biography of Ira Aldridge, a Black actor who overcame racism to become one of the greatest Shakespearean actors of the nineteenth century.
Ira Aldridge dreamed of being on stage one day and performing the great works of William Shakespeare. He spent every chance he had at the local theaters, memorizing each actor’s lines. He knew he could be a great Shakespearean actor if only given the chance. But in the early 1800s, only white actors were allowed to perform Shakespeare. Ira’s only option was to perform musical numbers at the all-black theater in New York city.
Despite being discouraged by his teacher and father, Ira determinedly pursued his dream and set off to England, the land of Shakespeare. There, Ira honed his acting skills and eventually performed at the acclaimed Theatre Royal Haymarket. Through perseverance and determination, Ira became one of the most celebrated Shakespearean actors throughout Europe.
| Author | Glenda Armand |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 2015 |
| Publisher | Lee&Low Books |
A portrait of endangered rainforest animals of South America describes their struggles to survive and find suitable habitats as they journey from the pineapple fields and cattle ranches that were once their home.
| Author | Virginia Hamilton |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 1994 |
| Publisher | Scholastic |
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!
Michael Jordan was once just an ordinary little boy growing up in a North Carolina suburb, trying to keep up with his older brother Larry. Michael was always good at sports, but it seemed like Larry was always going to be bigger, quicker, and luckier. But Michael never gave up, and his practicing began to pay off. Then one summer day during a backyard game of one-on-one, Larry Jordan’s “little” brother took him–and the whole family–by surprise!
| Author | Floyd Cooper |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 2004 |
| Publisher | Penguin |
Mazie is ready to celebrate liberty. She is ready to celebrate freedom. She is ready to celebrate a great day in American history. The day her ancestors were no longer slaves. Mazie remembers the struggles and the triumph, as she gets ready to celebrate Juneteenth.
| Author | Floyd Cooper |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 2015 |
| Publisher | Capstone |
The lyrics of a Grammy winner’s hit single are joined with stunning pencil and oil illustrations to celebrate the dignity, integrity, and honor of being a father.
| Author | Will Smith |
| Illustrators | Floyd Cooper, Jon J. Muth and Kadir Nelson |
| Date | 2001 |
| Publisher | Scholastic |
A girl who is afraid to go to sleep asks for the familiar story of Charlotte, her handmade stuffed elephant. It is the mother’s own story, and though it is late, she tells it to her daughter. When she was five, her grandmother made her an elephant out of sewing box scraps and she named it Charlotte, “the prettiest name in the world.”
| Author | Kathryn O. Galbraith |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 1990 |
| Publisher | Penguin |
Little David Earl always knows what day of the week it is. He can tell by the clean, snappy-fresh apron Ma Dear is wearing, a different color for every day.
Monday means washing, with Ma Dear scrubbing at her tub in a blue apron. Tuesday is ironing, in a sunshine yellow apron that brightens Ma’s spirits. And so it goes until Sunday, when Ma Dear doesn’t have to wear an apron and they can set aside some special no-work time, just for themselves.
| Author | Patricia C. McKissack |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 1997 |
| Publisher | Simon&Schuster |
From his childhood in the South African countryside, to his election as the first black president in South Africa’s history, Nelson Mandela’s extraordinary life is a story of courage, persistence, hope, and belief.
| Author | Floyd Cooper |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 1996 |
| Publisher | Penguin |
Describes the life of the civil rights worker who is honored on Martin Luther King Day.
| Author | Jacqueline Woodson |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 1990 |
| Publisher | Silver Burdett Press |
Max loves his grandpa. When they must say good-bye after a visit, Grandpa promises Max that the moon at Grandpa’s house is the same moon that will follow him all the way home. On that swervy-curvy car ride back to his house, Max watches as the moon tags along. But when the sky darkens and the moon disappears behind clouds, he worries that it didn’t follow him home after all. Where did the moon go—and what about Grandpa’s promise?
| Author | Floyd Cooper |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 2013 |
| Publisher | Penguin |
This spirited collection of beautifully illustrated poems introduces young readers to Danitra Brown, the most splendiferous girl in town, and her best friend, Zuri Jackson.
This story of girl friendship and support resonates today more than ever. Perfect for sharing with early grade individuals and groups, including for units on poetry and empathy, kindness, and friendship.
| Author | Nikki Grimes |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 1984 |
| Publisher | HarperCollins Publishers |
Here is the story of Miss Prudence Crandall and her black students, who endured the cruelty of prejudice and hateful actions for the sake of their education.
Miss Crandall faced legal proceedings for opening her school of African American women. But her young students knew that Miss Crandall had committed no crime. They knew that the real criminals were the rich white residents of Canterbury, Connecticut, who had poisoned the school’s water and set fire to the schoolhouse. But hatred could not destroy their patience and compassion. From March of 1833 to September of 1834, when persecution forced the school to close, these African American women learned that they deserved an education. What they needed was the courage to go after it.
| Authors | Marilyn Nelson and Elizabeth Alexander |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 2007 |
| Publisher | Astra Publishing House |
A powerful story about racial tensions
It’s the middle of the Great Depression, but James William still enjoys his life in rural Mississippi. But his happiness starts to unravel when he discovers the fire that burned down the local preacher’s house wasn’t an accident, but a hate crime. When his friend LeRoy tells him about the Klan and their hanging tree, James William has a hard time grasping this harsh reality, until an unexpected encounter brings the issue close to home.
A thought-provoking story of one boy’s loss of naiveté, Mississippi Morning will challenge young readers to question their own assumptions and confront personal decisions.
| Author | Ruth Vander Zee |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 2004 |
| Publisher | Eerdmans Books for Young Readers |
Every evening, old as she is, Miz Berlin walks down the long block, past Mary Louise’s house, talking to herself. One day Mary Louise catches up to Miz Berlin and walks with her. She is spellbound by the stories the old woman tells: block-long stories and two-day stories about how she caught crawdaddies the day the sky rained feathers, or about the day the flood rose right to her front door. Now every evening, Mary Louise walks with Miz Berlin, then runs on home, stuffed full of her own stories to tell.
| Author | Jane Yolen |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 1997 |
| Publisher | Penguin |
Two African-American children participating in the traditional New Orleans Mardi Gras celebration see such sights as the Zulu and Rex parades, enjoying the songs, bright costumes, and gigantic floats. By the author of The Jazz of Our Street.
| Author | Fatima Shaik |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 1998 |
| Publisher | Penguin |
Fifty Oklahoma City children, ranging in age from three to 14, offer their memories of and feelings about the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, whose 169 fatalities included 19 children and the parents of 100 others.
| Authors | Nancy Lamb and The Children of Oklahoma City |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 1996 |
| Publisher | HarperCollins Publishers |
When Papa tells a story about a brave soldier with a secret message, Chita happily joins in the telling, enjoying the time with her father in a celebration of family and the tradition of the tall tale.
| Author | Elizabeth Fitzgerald Howard |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 1995 |
| Publisher | Simon&Schuster |
A collection of poetry by fourteen distinguished African-American poets features the work of Langston Hughes, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Gwendolyn Brooks, and Eloise Greenfield, among others.
| Author | Wade Hudson |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 1993 |
| Publisher | Scholastic |
Promising that he will show her how to gain the affection of her new stepmother, Almaz’s grandfather tells her to bring him a handful of hair from the tail of a lion, in a folktale set in Ethiopia.
| Author | Jane Kurtz |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 1995 |
| Publisher | Simon&Schuster |
Here is a story of Alice Coachman, the first African-American woman to win an Olympic gold medal.
When Alice Coachman was a girl, most White people wouldn’t even shake her hand. Yet when the King of England placed an Olympic medal around her neck in 1948, he extended his hand to Alice in congratulations. Standing on a podium in London’s Wembley Stadium, Alice was a long way from the fields of Georgia where she ran barefoot as a child. With a record-breaking leap, she had become the first African-American woman to win an Olympic gold medal. This inspirational picture book is perfect to celebrate Women’s History Month or to share any day of the year.
| Author | Heather Lang |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 2012 |
| Publisher | Astra Publishing House |
Prominent Black creators lend their voice, their insight, and their talent to an inspiring anthology that celebrates Black culture and Black life. Essays, poems, short stories, and historical excerpts blend with a full-color eight-page insert of spellbinding art to capture the pride, prestige, and jubilation that is being Black in America. In these pages, find the stories of the past, the journeys of the present, and the light guiding the future.
| Editors | Wade Hudson and Cheryl Willis Hudson |
| Illustrators | Floyd Cooper, Ekua Holmes, James Ransome, Keith Knight, et al. |
| Date | 2021 |
| Publisher | Penguin |
Seventeen stories about the experiences of young people of African descent around the world, by such authors as Toni Cade Bambara, John Henrik Clarke, Njabulo Ndebele, and Barbara Burford.
| Author | Tonya Bolden |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 1994 |
| Publisher | Hyperion |
Ruth was so excited to take a trip in her family’s new car! In the early 1950s, few African Americans could afford to buy cars, so this would be an adventure. But she soon found out that Black travelers weren’t treated very well in some towns. Many hotels and gas stations refused service to Black people. Daddy was upset about something called Jim Crow laws . . .
Finally, a friendly attendant at a gas station showed Ruth’s family The Green Book. It listed all of the places that would welcome Black travelers. With this guidebook—and the kindness of strangers—Ruth could finally make a safe journey from Chicago to her grandma’s house in Alabama.
Ruth’s story is fiction, but The Green Book and its role in helping a generation of African American travelers avoid some of the indignities of Jim Crow are historical fact.
| Author | Calvin Alexander Ramsey |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 2010 |
| Publisher | Lerner |
On hot summer nights in New Orleans, a boy named Louis Armstrong would peek under the big swinging doors of Economy Hall and listen to the jazz band. The best night was Friday, when Bunk Johnson would blow his cornet till the roof trembled. At moments like those, Louis could feel his toes tingle. He wanted to be like Bunk Johnson; aim his horn straight up at the night sky and set the stars spinning.One day Louis saw a horn in a pawnshop window—a real brass cornet. The cardboard sign said $5. How could he ever come up with that much money? Every day Louis did what he could to earn that five dollars, and every day he practiced blowing his imaginary horn. It was a dream he would never give up.
| Author | Alan Schroeder |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 1996 |
| Publisher | Penguin |
They called him “White Trash” because he wore hand-me-down overalls and lived on the wrong side of the tracks near Shake Rag, but when his mama gets him a second-hand guitar, his life is forever changed.
| Author | Amy Littlesugar |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 1998 |
| Publisher | Penguin |
An inspiring picture book sports biography about two of the greatest female tennis players of all-time! Venus and Serena Williams: Best friends. Sisters. Champions.
Everyone knows the names Venus & Serena Williams. They’ve become synonymous with championships, hard work, and with shaking up the tennis world. This inspirational true story, written by award-winning sports journalist, Howard Bryant, and brought to beautiful life by Coretta Scott Kind Award and Honor winner, Floyd Cooper, details the sisters’ journey from a barely-there tennis court in Compton, CA, to Olympic gold medals and becoming the #1 ranked women in the sport of tennis. Here is a worthy ode to Venus and Serena Williams, the incredible sister duo who will go down in history as two of the greatest athletes of all time.
| Author | Howard Bryant |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 2018 |
| Publisher | Penguin |
Lily and Wendy have been best friends since they became stepsisters. But with their feuding parents planning to spend the summer apart, what will become of their family—and their friendship?
Little do they know that a mysterious boy has been watching them from the oak tree outside their window. A boy who intends to take them away from home for good, to an island of wild animals, Merfolk, Fairies, and kidnapped children, to a sea of merfolk, pirates, and a giant crocodile.
A boy who calls himself Peter Pan.
| Author | Cynthia L. Smith |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper (Cover) |
| Date | 2021 |
| Publisher | HarperCollins Publishers |
In 1936, the New York Yankees wanted to test a hot prospect named Joe DiMaggio to see if he was ready for the big leagues. They knew just the ballplayer to call—Satchel Paige, the best pitcher anywhere, black or white. For the game, Paige joined a group of amateur African American players, and they faced off against a team of white major leaguers plus young DiMaggio. The odds were stacked against the less-experienced black team. But Paige’s skillful batting and amazing pitching—with his “trouble ball” and “bat dodger”— kept the game close. Would the rookie DiMaggio prove himself as major league player? Or would Paige once again prove his greatness—and the injustice of segregated baseball?
| Author | Rob Skead |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 2012 |
| Publisher | Lerner |
James Herman Banning always dreamed of touching the sky. But how could a farm boy from Oklahoma find a plane? And how would he learn to fly it? None of the other pilots looked like him. Despite the challenges and prejudices that stood in his way, James knew he belonged above the clouds.
In a journey that would span 3,300 miles, take twenty-one days, and inspire a nation, James Herman Banning proved that you can’t put barriers on dreams.
| Authors | Louisa Jaggar and Shari Becker |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 2021 |
| Publisher | Penguin |
Now that Grandpa’s gone, Sarah tries to remember what he used to say about the garden. Like us, he would tell her, a part of it never dies. Everything and everyone goes on and on. But Sarah feels very sad, even though Grandma and all the relatives are with her, sharing stories and hugs. How can life go on without Grandpa? As summer slips into fall, Grandma and Sarah share a rich garden harvest, and their sweet, sweet memories of Grandpa. The stories and memories of loved ones, Sarah learns, are what keep everything and everyone going on and on. This spare and beautiful picture book balances sadness and mourning with the comforting notion of the continuity of all life.
| Author | Jacqueline Woodson |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 2000 |
| Publisher | Hyperion |
M. LaVora Perry is an actor and commercial model from Cleveland, Ohio. Her novel, Taneesha Never Disparaging, was inspired by her three children who attended a school very similar to Taneesha’s.
| Author | M. LaVora Perry |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 2008 |
| Publisher | Simon&Schuster |
Tasha is a girl who has trouble finding her voice to speak in school or to even make a friend. Then her class visits a park, the best park ever. With the help of an encouraging park ranger, an understanding teacher, some new companions, and a tiny turtle, Tasha finds her voice amidst the wildflowers.
| Author | Carmen Bogan |
| Illustrators | Daria Peoples and Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 2024 |
| Publisher | Yosemite Conservancy |
Black is dazzling and distinctive, like toasted wheat berry bread; snowberries in the fall; rich, red cranberries; and the bronzed last leaves of summer. In this lyrical and luminous poetry collection, Coretta Scott King honorees Joyce Carol Thomas and Floyd Cooper celebrate these many shades of Black beautifully.
| Author | Joyce Carol Thomas |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 2008 |
| Publisher | HarperCollins Publishers |
A retelling of a story found on a twelfth century scroll, in which a young girl chooses her own interests and her own life. Living in twelfth-century Japan, Izumi, a young girl who is fascinated by small creatures, especially caterpillars, ignores the rigid conventions of Japanese court life and the wishes of her parents to pursue her own interests and choices.
| Author | Jean Merrill |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 1992 |
| Publisher | Penguin |
Ryan and Ben were intrigued when Mr. Kramer, their middle school science teacher, told them that time travel was possible. That evening they stood in front of a 150 year-old mirror, and their lives were forever changed. Can two boys from the 21st century survive in the turbulent years just before the civil war? Can the mirror that took them back in time return them to the present? And after meeting the freckle faced, red-headed and fun Laura, will Ryan want to come home again?
| Authors | Bill Martin Jr. and Michael Sampson |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 2016 |
| Publisher | Createspace Independent Publishing Platform |
Across the great desert the caravan follows the eastern star, in search of the newborn king. And at the rear young Ameer trails sadly behind. What gift, he wonders, can one so poor possibly give? Certainly nothing that might compare with the fine tributes of a merchant, or the gold, frankincense, and myrrh of kings. Not even Ameer’s beloved dog Ra can give him any comfort. But in Bethlehem they find a king like none before. And to everyone’s astonishment, though Ameer has no jewels or marvels to present, his gift of the heart outshines them all.
| Author | Marty Crisp |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 2006 |
| Publisher | Penguin |
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.
Jackson’s mama is getting married, and he gets to be the ring bearer. But Jackson is worried . . . What if he trips? Or walks too slowly? Or drops the rings? And what about his new stepsister, Sophie? She’s supposed to be the flower girl, but Jackson’s not sure she’s taking her job as seriously as she should.
| Author | Floyd Cooper |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 2017 |
| Publisher | Penguin |
Today many children dream of playing professional baseball. Perhaps you are one of them. If you have good athletic skills and you work hard, your dream may be realized. But this wasn’t always true for athletes in the first part of this century. More was required. A player had to be white. Black players–no matter how well they could hit, catch, or throw–were not signed up by the major leagues.
One brave black player named Jackie Robinson worked to change the “rules,” so that all races could have the opportunity to fulfill their dreams on the baseball diamond–or anywhere. This is Jackie Robinson’s story.
| Author | Margaret Davidson |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 1987 |
| Publisher | Penguin |
Ira Aldridge dreamed of being on stage, performing the great works of William Shakespeare. He spent every chance he got at the local theaters, memorizing each actor’s lines for all of the great plays. Ira knew he could be a famous performer if given the chance. But in the early 1800s, only white actors were allowed to perform Shakespeare. African American actors had to play in musicals at the all-black theater in New York City.
Despite the discouragement of his teacher and father, Ira determinedly pursued his dream and set off for England, the land of Shakespeare. There he honed his acting skills and eventually performed at the acclaimed Theatre Royal Haymarket. Through perseverance and determination, Ira became one of the most celebrated Shakespearean actors in Europe, and a public supporter of the abolitionist movement. This chapter book edition includes black-and-white illustrations as well as sidebars on related subjects, a timeline, a glossary, and recommended reading.
| Author | Glenda Armand |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 2019 |
| Publisher | Lee&Low Books |
Joseph’s grandpa could do almost anything with his hands. He could play the piano, throw a curveball, and tie a triple bowline knot in three seconds flat. But in the 1950s and 60s, he could not bake bread at the Wonder Bread factory. Factory bosses said white people would not want to eat bread touched by the hands of the African Americans who worked there.
In this powerful intergenerational story, Joseph learns that people joined their hands together to fight discrimination so that one day, their hands—Joseph’s hands—could do anything at all in this whole wide world.
| Author | Margaret H. Mason |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 2010 |
| Publisher | HarperCollins Publishers |
Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Black Boy by Tony Medina offers a fresh perspective of young men of color by depicting thirteen views of everyday life: young boys dressed in their Sunday best, running to catch a bus, and growing up to be teachers, and much more. Each of Tony Medina’s tanka is matched with a different artist.
| Author | Tony Medina |
| Illustrators | Floyd Cooper, Ekua Holmes, Javaka Steptoe, R. Gregory Christie, et al. |
| Date | 2018 |
| Publisher | Penny Candy Books |
Florrie’s daddy used to be a stage actor in Harlem before the Depression forced the Lafayette Theater to close, but he gets a chance to act again when Orson Welles reopens the theater to stage an all-black version of Macbeth.
| Author | Amy Littlesugar |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 1999 |
| Publisher | Penguin |
After Tyler saves Noah from a bully, they become fast friends. Now they want to try out for a sport together. Noah wants to swim. Tyler wants to play basketball. How will the friends choose which sport to play?
| Author | Floyd Cooper |
| Illustrator | Randy DuBurke |
| Date | N/A |
| Publisher | Benchmark Education Company |
Celebrated author Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrator Floyd Cooper provide a powerful look at the Tulsa Race Massacre, one of the worst incidents of racial violence in our nation’s history. The book traces the history of African Americans in Tulsa’s Greenwood district and chronicles the devastation that occurred in 1921 when a white mob attacked the Black community. News of what happened was largely suppressed, and no official investigation occurred for seventy-five years. This picture book sensitively introduces young readers to this tragedy and concludes with a call for a better future.
| Author | Carole Boston Weatherford |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 2021 |
| Publisher | Lerner |
What do we tell our children when the world seems bleak, and prejudice and racism run rampant? With 96 lavishly designed pages of original art and prose, fifty diverse creators lend voice to young activists. Featuring poems, letters, personal essays, art, and other works from such industry leaders as Jacqueline Woodson (Brown Girl Dreaming), Jason Reynolds (All American Boys), Kwame Alexander (The Crossover), Andrea Pippins (I Love My Hair), Sharon Draper (Out of My Mind), Rita Williams-Garcia (One Crazy Summer), Ellen Oh (cofounder of We Need Diverse Books), and artists Ekua Holmes, Rafael Lopez, James Ransome, Javaka Steptoe, and more, this anthology empowers the nation’s youth to listen, learn, and build a better tomorrow.
| Editors | Wade Hudson and Cheryl Willis Hudson |
| Illustrators | Floyd Cooper, Ekua Holmes, James Ransome, Javaka Steptoe, Rafael Lopez, et al. |
| Date | 2018 |
| Publisher | Penguin |
After returning to the United States, Peter’s whole family misses the warmth and friendliness of their life in Africa; so Peter’s father looks for another job there.
| Author | Karen Lynn Williams |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 1991 |
| Publisher | Scholastic (Orchard Books) |
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.
| Author | Carmen Bogan |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 2017 |
| Publisher | Yosemite Conservancy |
Willie, an African-American boy growing up in Chicago, dreams of playing baseball in the Major Leagues, like his idols. But it’s 1942, and Jackie Robinson is years away from breaking the color barrier. One day Willie sits with the old men in the neighborhood as they spin tall baseball tales. Willie knows the game like the back of his hand, but he?s never heard of Josh Gibson or Cool Papa Bell. “That’s because they?re Negro Leaguers,” says Ol’ Ezra. “Being a Major Leaguer is about a lot more than how good a fella is. It’s also about the color of his skin. And yours is the wrong color.” Willie is crushed. Until, that is, Ezra hands him two tickets to an exhibition all-star game between Major Leaguers and Negro Leaguers, and Willie sees firsthand how determination can change everything.
| Author | Floyd Cooper |
| Illustrator | Floyd Cooper |
| Date | 2008 |
| Publisher | Penguin |