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Floyd Cooper (illustrator)

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Floyd Cooper
Born(1956-01-08)January 8, 1956
Tulsa, OK
DiedJuly 15, 2021(2021-07-15) (aged 65)
Easton, PA
OccupationAuthor and Illustrator
NationalityAmerican
GenreChildren's picture books
Notable worksGrandpa's Face by Eloise Greenfield
Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre by Carole Boston Weatherford
Notable awardsCoretta Scott King Illustrator Award (2009, 2022)
Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor (1994, 1995, 1999)
Caldecott Honor (2022)

Floyd Cooper (January 8, 1956 – July 15, 2021) was an American illustrator of children's books whose art frequently explored the African American experience.[1] He was based in Easton, Pennsylvania,[2] and worked with authors such as Jane Yolen, Nikki Grimes, Eloise Greenfield, Howard Bryant, Joyce Carol Thomas, and Bill Martin Jr, among others.[3] He illustrated more than 100 titles.[1]

Personal

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Floyd Donald Cooper Jr. was born in 1956 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to Ramona (Williams) Cooper and Floyd Cooper Sr.[1] His mother was a beautician while his father built houses. Floyd grew up in low income housing and attended 11 different elementary schools.[1]

In school his teachers began to notice his illustrations and submitted his work to a scholarship committee. Floyd earned a scholarship to the University of Oklahoma, where he studied advertising.[1][4] After graduating in 1978, Floyd worked for Hallmark Cards in Kansas City. He later moved to Manhattan where he struggled before he got his first contract with Penguin Books[5] Floyd's first illustrated book was published in 1988 and written by Eloise Greenfield.

He married Velma Hyatt Cooper and they had two sons. He died of cancer on July 15, 2021 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.[1]

Technique

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Cooper's artwork is known for using what he called an "oil erasure" subtractive technique, where he would "wash a board in oil paint and use a rubber eraser to methodically knead the paint away. He'd then create radiant images in soft, shimmering tones."[1]

Awards

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Floyd won the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award in 2009[6] and 2022.[7] He was also selected for the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor in 1994,[8] 1995,[9] and 1999,[10] and a Caldecott Honor in 2022.[11]

Additionally, he won a Golden Kite Award for A Dance Like Starlight: One Ballerina’s Dream[12] and a Charlotte Zolotow Award for Max and the Tag-Along Moon written by Floyd himself.[13] Laura Charlotte received a Parents' Choice Award and a School Library Journal Best Books citation.[14]

Selected works

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Floyd Cooper, Illustrator of Black Life for Children, Dies at 65" by Alex Vadukul, The New York Times, July 29, 2021.
  2. ^ "30 Second Bio". Retrieved 11 Mar 2020.
  3. ^ "Floyd Cooper". Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  4. ^ "Harper Collins Publisher". Retrieved 11 Mar 2020.
  5. ^ "Grandpa's Face-Interview with Illustrator Floyd Cooper". 15 September 2019. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  6. ^ JAMUNDSEN (2012-04-05). "Coretta Scott King Book Awards - All Recipients, 1970-Present". Round Tables. Retrieved 2024-01-24.
  7. ^ JAMUNDSEN (2012-04-05). "Coretta Scott King Book Awards - All Recipients, 1970-Present". Round Tables. Retrieved 2024-01-24.
  8. ^ JAMUNDSEN (2012-04-05). "Coretta Scott King Book Awards - All Recipients, 1970-Present". Round Tables. Retrieved 2024-01-24.
  9. ^ JAMUNDSEN (2012-04-05). "Coretta Scott King Book Awards - All Recipients, 1970-Present". Round Tables. Retrieved 2024-01-24.
  10. ^ JAMUNDSEN (2012-04-05). "Coretta Scott King Book Awards - All Recipients, 1970-Present". Round Tables. Retrieved 2024-01-24.
  11. ^ "2022 Newbery and Caldecott Award Winners and Honor Books". Fulton County Library System. Retrieved 2024-01-24.
  12. ^ "2015 Golden Kite Winners". Archived from the original on 20 August 2022. Retrieved 11 Mar 2020.
  13. ^ "Award Winning Books by Floyd Cooper". Retrieved 11 Mar 2020.
  14. ^ a b "Kathryn O. Galbraith." Gale Literature: Contemporary Authors. Gale, 2011. Gale Literature Resource Center. Accessed 5 May 2023.
  15. ^ "Laura Charlotte by Kathryn O. Galbraith". www.publishersweekly.com. Retrieved 2023-05-05.
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