Ann Grifaloconi received a Certificate of Art from The Cooper Union in 1950. After graduating from The Cooper Union, she worked in advertising for a few years and later taught art and design at the High School of Fashion Industries. She left teaching to become a full-time illustrator and author. She wrote and illustrated numerous children’s books and had a gift for introducing children to life in other cultures. Some of the books were set in a village in Cameroon, Africa. She illustrated “Don’t You come Back” which is a collection of 45 poems by Langston Hughes that were selected by 4th grade students in a Harlem school.
Awards:
Ann Grifaloconi received a Newberry honor in 1966 for her illustrations in “The Jazz Man” which was authored by her mother, Mary Hays Weik. Ann received a Coretta Scott King Award in 1983 for her illustrations in “Everett Anderson’s Goodbye” by Lucille Clifton. In 1987, Ann received a Caldecott Honor for “Village” which she both wrote and illustrated.