I met Ms. Eloise Greenfield when I was a student.
"Children’s
author Ms. Eloise Greenfield was born in Parmele, North Carolina, and
raised in Washington, DC. She attended Miner Teachers’ College (now the
University of the District of Columbia) and went on to work as a clerk
in the US Patent Office. The monotony of the job drove her to experiment
with making up rhymes, and eventually Greenfield began writing poetry
in earnest. Her first published poem appeared in the Hartford Times in
1962. Since then, Greenfield has published more than 40 books for
children, including works of poetry, biography, picture books, and
chapter books. Her work is widely praised for its depiction of African
American experience, particularly family life; Greenfield has said she
began writing for children after looking in vain for books for her own
children that reflected their life.."
She recently passed.
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/eloise-greenfield
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/eloise-greenfield