overcome her fear of public speaking. Greenfield went on to publish 48 children's books, including picture books, novels, poetry and biographies. She said that she sought to "choose and order words that children will celebrate". Dismayed by the depiction of blacks and black communities in popular media, Greenfield focused her work on realistic but positive portrayals of African-American communities, families and friendships. These relationships are emphasized in Sister (1974), where a young girl copes with the death of a parent with the help of other family members; Me and Nessie (1975), about best friends; My Daddy and I (1991); and Big Friend, Little Friend (1991), about mentoring. Her first book, Bubbles (1972), "sets the tone for much of Greenfield's later work: Realistic portrayals of loving African American parents working hard to provide for their families, and the children who face life's challenges with a positive outlook." In She Come Bringing Me that Little Baby Girl (1974), a boy deals with feelings of envy and learns to share his parents' love when his baby sister arrives. The poignant Alesia (1981) concerns the bravery of a girl handicapped by a childhood accident. Night on Neighborhood Street (1991) is a collection of poems depicting everyday life in an urban community. One of her best-known books, Honey, I Love, first published in 1978, is a collection of poems for people of all ages concerning the daily lives and loving relationships of children and families. Jonda McNair calls the collection a classic with themes relevant to diverse readers. Her semi-autobiographical book Childtimes: A Three-Generation Memoir (1979), co-written with her mother, describes her happy childhood in a neighborhood with strong positive relationships. In the introduction to that book, she explained her interest in biography: In 1971, Greenfield began work for the District of Columbia Black Writers' Workshop, as co-director of adult fiction and then, in 1973, as director of children's literature. That group's goal was to encourage the writing and publishing of African-American literature. She was writer-in-residence at the District of Columbia Commission on the Arts and Humanities in 1985–86 and taught creative writing in schools under grants from the Commission. She also lectured and gave free workshops on writing of African-American children's literature. She was a member of the National Literary Hall of Fame for Writers of African Descent and a member of the African-American Writers Guild. After 1991, most of Greenfield's books were illustrated