Tom Feelings facts for kids

Tom Feelings (born May 19, 1933, died August 25, 2003) was a talented artist. He was a cartoonist, illustrator, author, and teacher. Tom Feelings used his art to share stories about the experiences of African Americans. His most famous book is The Middle Passage: White Ships/Black Cargo.

He won many awards for his children's books. He was the first African-American artist to receive a Caldecott Honor. This award celebrates amazing picture books for kids. Tom Feelings was born in Brooklyn, New York. He lived in different places like Ghana and Guyana.

Tom Feelings' Life Story

Tom Feelings was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1933. He loved art from a young age.

He studied cartooning from 1951 to 1953. After serving in the Air Force, he went back to school. He studied illustration at the School of Visual Arts from 1957 to 1960.

In 1958, Feelings created a special comic strip. It was called Tommy Traveler In the World of Negro History. It appeared in the New York Age newspaper. The comic showed a young Black boy's dream adventures. He learned about important Black heroes in American history. This comic strip was later made into a book in 1991.

In 1960, Feelings drew pictures for a comic book. It was for the NAACP. This comic helped people learn about voter registration. He also drew illustrations for Look Magazine in 1961. These drawings were about "The Negro in the U.S."

From 1964 to 1966, Tom Feelings lived in Tema, Ghana. He worked there as an illustrator. He also advised a magazine called African Review. This magazine was published by the Ghanaian government.

In 1967, Feelings illustrated Crispus Attucks and the Minutemen. This was part of the Golden Legacy comic book series. This series taught about Black history. Crispus Attucks was the first person to die in the American Revolution. Feelings had also included him in his Tommy Traveler comic strip.

From the late 1960s to the 1990s, Feelings focused on children's books. He drew pictures for other authors' books. He also wrote and illustrated his own books.

Tom Feelings was married to Muriel Feelings from 1969 to 1974. She was also a children's book author. They often worked together on books.

From 1990 to 1996, Feelings was a professor of art. He taught at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, SC.

Tom Feelings passed away in 2003 at age 70. He died in Mexico after receiving treatment for cancer.

Tom Feelings' Books and Comics

Here are some of the works Tom Feelings created or illustrated:

Comic Books

• Tommy Traveler in the World of Negro History (1958-?)
• "Crispus Attucks and the Minutemen," Golden Legacy #3 (1967)

Book Illustrations

• Bola and Oba's Drummer by Letta Schatz (1967)
• To Be a Slave by Julius Lester (1968)
• Zamani Goes to Market by Muriel Feelings (1970)
• Moja Means One: Swahili Counting Book by Muriel Feelings (1971)
• Jambo Means Hello: Swahili Alphabet Book by Muriel Feelings (1974)
• Something on My Mind by Nikki Grimes (1978)
• Daydreamers by Eloise Greenfield (1981)
• Now Sheba Sings the Song by Maya Angelou (1987)

Books with Words and Pictures by Tom Feelings

• Tommy Traveler in the World of Black History (1991)
• Soul Looks Back in Wonder (edited and illustrated by Tom Feelings, 1993)
• The Middle Passage: White Ships/Black Cargo (1995)

Artists' Books

• With Care by Ruth E. Edwards, illustrations by Tom Feelings

Awards and Honors

Tom Feelings received many important awards for his work:

• His book To Be a Slave won several honors in 1969. It was named a Newbery Honor Book. It was also an ALA Notable Book and a Hornbook Fanfare Best Book. The Library of Congress and the Smithsonian also recognized it. In 1970, it won the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award.

• In 1972, Tom Feelings and his wife Muriel Feelings received a Caldecott Medal Honor. This was for their book Moja Means One: Swahili Counting Book.

• Muriel and Tom Feelings also won a 1974 Boston Globe–Horn Book Award. This was for their picture book Jambo Means Hello: A Swahili Alphabet Book. Jambo Means Hello also received a 1975 Caldecott Medal Honor.

• Feelings's book The Middle Passage won the 1996 Coretta Scott King Award. It also received a special mention at the 1996 Jane Addams Children's Book Award ceremonies.

More Information

• Marvin X. "On the Passing of an Artist of the People: Tom Feelings", ChickenBones: A Journal. Accessed July 18, 2013.
• James Weldon Johnson Collection in the Yale Collection of American Literature, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.