Floyd Cooper, Noted Children's Illustrator, Passes at Age 65
Another notable icon of children’s literature has passed, the fourth that has been lost in 2021. Children’s Book Illustrator, Floyd Cooper, passed away last Thursday, July 16, in Easton, Pennsylvania. Cooper, a native of Tulsa, OK had collaborated with various authors on dozens of books, including one for which he won the Coretta Scott King Award for his illustrations in Joyce Carol Thomas’ book The Blacker the Berry in 2009.
He also illustrated Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre, by Carole Boston Weatherford; a book on which he relied heavily on the stories of his grandfather, to fuel his illustrations.
Other notable children’s book authors with whom he worked, included Howard Bryant, Eloise Greenfield, Nikki Grimes, Joyce Carol Thomas, and Jacqueline Woodson, among others.
A graduate of the University of Oklahoma, Cooper grew up impoverished in Tulsa, where he was reported to have attended 11 elementary schools due to frequent family moves. This said, it was his teachers who noticed his talent for drawing and who helped him to parlay that talent into college scholarships. He went on to illustrate greeting cards for Hallmark, before relocating to New York City and getting his first job with Penguin, to illustrate Grandpa's Face by Eloise Greenfield, first published in 1988. Upon his death, Cooper was 65 years old and had an arduous battle with cancer.
Other notable children’s book icons lost this year include Eric Carle, Beverly Cleary, and Norton Juster.
Explore books illustrated by Floyd Cooper in our online catalog and check them out using your library card.