John Steptoe
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John Steptoe (September 14, 1950 – August 28, 1989) was an author and illustrator for children’s books dealing with aspects of the
African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...
experience. He is best known for ''Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters'', which was acknowledged by literary critics as a breakthrough in
African history The history of Africa begins with the emergence of hominids, archaic humans and — around 300–250,000 years ago—anatomically modern humans (''Homo sapiens''), in East Africa, and continues unbroken into the present as a patchwork of dive ...
and culture.


Early life

John Steptoe was born in
Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
. He began drawing as a young child and received formal art training at the
High School of Art and Design The High School of Art and Design is a career and technical education high school in Manhattan, New York City, New York State, United States. Founded in 1936 as the School of Industrial Art, the school moved to 1075 Second Avenue in 1960 and mor ...
in Manhattan, and had Norman Lewis as his instructor. He also attended the
Vermont Academy Vermont Academy (VA) is a private, co-educational, college preparatory, boarding and day school in Saxtons River, Vermont, serving students from ninth through twelfth grade, as well as postgraduates. Founded in 1876, the campus was listed on the ...
, where he studied under the sculptor John Torres, and William Majors, a widely acclaimed painter.


Career

Steptoe began his first picture book, ''Stevie'', when he was only 16 years old. In 1967, while still a high school student and without an appointment, Steptoe took his portfolio to the office of
Harper & Row Harper is an American publishing house, the flagship imprint of global publisher HarperCollins based in New York City. History J. & J. Harper (1817–1833) James Harper and his brother John, printers by training, started their book publishin ...
. His artwork made a good impression on a staff member in the Department of Books for Boys and Girls, and days later Steptoe returned to see department director
Ursula Nordstrom Ursula Nordstrom (February 2, 1910 – October 11, 1988) was publisher and editor-in-chief of juvenile books at Harper & Row from 1940 to 1973. She is credited with presiding over a transformation in children's literature in which morality tales ...
. After the meeting Nordstrom wrote to tell him, "We think you are tremendously talented and we are delighted to think that your first book will be for us." In the same letter she offered Steptoe a contract and an advance as soon as he had a "rough" dummy of the book ready. ''Stevie'' was published in 1969 to outstanding critical praise. It received national attention when it appeared in its entirety in ''Life'' magazine, which commended it for being "a new kind of book for black children." Since his publication of ''Stevie'', John Steptoe illustrated 15 more picture books, 10 of which he also wrote.
The American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with 49,727 members a ...
named ''The Jumping Mouse'' in 1985 and ''Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters'' in 1988
Caldecott Honor The Randolph Caldecott Medal, frequently shortened to just the Caldecott, annually recognizes the preceding year's "most distinguished American picture book for children". It is awarded to the illustrator by the Association for Library Service ...
Books, a prestigious award for children’s book illustrations. Steptoe also received the
Coretta Scott King Award The Coretta Scott King Award is an annual award presented by the Ethnic & Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table, part of the American Library Association (ALA). Named for Coretta Scott King, wife of Martin Luther King Jr., this award rec ...
for illustration for both ''Mother Crocodile'' (written by
Rosa Guy Rosa Cuthbert Guy () (September 1, 1922Margalit Fox"Rosa Guy, 89, Author of Forthright Novels for Young People, Dies" ''The New York Times'', June 7, 2012. – June 3, 2012) was a Trinidad-born American writer who grew up in the New York metro ...
) in 1982 and ''Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters.'' While all of Steptoe’s works deals with the African-American experience, ''Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters'' was widely praised by reviewers and critics as a breakthrough of African history and culture. Based on an African tale from the 19th century, it required Steptoe to research his heritage giving him the chance to awaken his pride in his African ancestry. John Steptoe hoped that his books would lead African-American children to feel pride in their origins as well.
Caldecott Honor The Randolph Caldecott Medal, frequently shortened to just the Caldecott, annually recognizes the preceding year's "most distinguished American picture book for children". It is awarded to the illustrator by the Association for Library Service ...
s for Illustration * 1985 ''Story of Jumping Mouse-A Native American Legend'' * 1988 ''Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters''
Coretta Scott King Award The Coretta Scott King Award is an annual award presented by the Ethnic & Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table, part of the American Library Association (ALA). Named for Coretta Scott King, wife of Martin Luther King Jr., this award rec ...
for Illustration * 1982 ''Mother Crocodile'' * 1988 ''Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters''


Family

Steptoe had two children: Bweela, who is one of the models for many of Steptoe's books including ''Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters'', and son
Javaka Steptoe Javaka Steptoe (born April 19, 1971) is an American author and illustrator. He won the 2017 Caldecott Medal as well as the Americas Award for Children's and Young Adult Literature, and the Coretta Scott King Book Award from the American Library ...
, who is also a children's book author and illustrator. He won the 2017
Caldecott Medal The Randolph Caldecott Medal, frequently shortened to just the Caldecott, annually recognizes the preceding year's "most distinguished American picture book for children". It is awarded to the illustrator by the Association for Library Servic ...
for his book '' Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat''.


Death and legacy

John Steptoe died on August 28, 1989, at Saint Lukes Hospital in Manhattan of
AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...
. He was 38 years old. At the time of his death, Steptoe was among the few African-American artists who made a career in children’s literature. Following his death, the American Library Association established the John Steptoe Award for New Talent, which is given to affirm new talent and excellence in writing and/or illustration.John Steptoe Award for New Talent


References

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External links

*
The John Lewis Steptoe Cultural Center
* (under 'Steptoe, John, 1950–' without '1989', previous page of browse report) {{DEFAULTSORT:Steptoe, John 1950 births 1989 deaths 20th-century American writers AIDS-related deaths in New York (state) African-American graphic designers African-American illustrators American children's book illustrators Writers from New York City High School of Art and Design alumni 20th-century American male writers Writers from New York (state) 20th-century African-American writers African-American male writers Vermont Academy alumni