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Tom Feelings

トム・フィーリングズ

Tomu Fīringuzu

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1933-05-19 （Brooklyn, New York, U.S.）
Died
2003-08-25 （Mexico） age 70
Nationality
American
Languages
English
Religion
Unknown
Residence History
New York City, Brooklyn → Tema, Ghana → Guyana → Columbia, South Carolina

Career

Occupations
artist, cartoonist, children's book illustrator, author, teacher, activist
Active Years
1951-2003
Affiliations
University of South Carolina

Education

Cartoonists and Illustrators School
cartooning
Period: 1951-1953
Year of Graduation: 1953
Country: United States
School of Visual Arts
illustration
Period: 1957-1960
Year of Graduation: 1960
Country: United States

Awards

Caldecott Honor
1972
Work: Moja Means One: Swahili Counting Book
Organization: Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC)
Result: Honor
Caldecott Honor
1975
Work: Jambo Means Hello: A Swahili Alphabet Book
Organization: Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC)
Result: Honor
Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award
1979
Work: Something on My Mind
Organization: American Library Association
Result: Winner
Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award
1994
Work: Soul Looks Back in Wonder
Organization: American Library Association
Result: Winner
Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award
1996
Work: The Middle Passage: White Ships/Black Cargo
Organization: American Library Association
Result: Winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Middle Passage: White Ships/Black Cargo

1995 picture book

Powerful illustrations depicting the horrors of the Middle Passage in the Atlantic slave trade.

slave tradeAfrican-American experienceBlack history

To Be a Slave

1968 children's book

Illustrations for Julius Lester's book on the slave experience.

slaveryBlack history

Jambo Means Hello: A Swahili Alphabet Book

1974 picture book

Swahili alphabet book co-created with wife Muriel Feelings.

African culturelanguage education

Bibliography

  • Tommy Traveler in the World of Negro History
  • Crispus Attucks and the Minutemen
  • Bola and Oba's Drummer
  • To Be a Slave
  • Zamani Goes to Market
  • Moja Means One: Swahili Counting Book
  • Jambo Means Hello: Swahili Alphabet Book
  • Something on My Mind
  • Daydreamers
  • Now Sheba Sings the Song
  • Tommy Traveler in the World of Black History
  • Soul Looks Back in Wonder
  • The Middle Passage: White Ships/Black Cargo

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Powerful illustrations emphasizing African-American experienceRealistic and emotionally charged visual style
Recurring Motifs
Black historyslave tradeAfrican culturediaspora

Health

  • cancer
    晩年
    Died at age 70 while receiving treatment in Mexico

Legacy

Renowned for children's book illustrations depicting African-American experiences, particularly slavery and Black history; first African-American to receive Caldecott Honor.

Archives

  • Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library

Trivia

  • First African-American artist to receive a Caldecott Honor
  • Recipient of a 1982 National Endowment for the Arts grant
  • Collaborated frequently with wife Muriel Feelings