Flora, James: - James Flora (1914-1998) was best known by adults for his wild jazz and classical album covers for Columbia Records (late 1940s) and RCA Victor (1950s). While children (and their caretakers) know that he authored and illustrated 17 popular children's books. Flora balanced a devilish sense of humor and a flair for juxtaposing playfulness, absurdity, and scariness into storybooks that kids and adults want to read over and over again.