RIP Floyd Cooper
Author and illustrator Floyd Cooper passed away yesterday and it’s another blow to the kid lit community who has lost so many talented creators this year. Cooper won the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award in 2009 forĀ The Blacker the Berry, written by Joyce CarolĀ Thomas. He won multiple Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Awards. One of his last books to be published was based in his hometown of Tulsa. Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre was written by Carol Boston Weatherford and I honestly can’t think of a better pairing of author and illustrator to cover such an important historical event.
I had the privilege of hearing Cooper speak at KidLitCon back in 2017. He also drew while he spoke and it’s safe to say that the audience was captivated. His illustration style is unlike anything I’ve seen before. He actually starts with a thin coat of oil paint on a board and literally erases away an image. Check out this article to see how it works or this Facebook video for a live demo.
Floyd Cooper created gorgeous illustrations and his talent for highlighting and celebrating Black history will not soon be forgotten.
