As a child he had a great collection of quality children's books that his mom, a Head Start teacher, would bring home.
While in high school he won first place in a Congressional Competition and his painting was displayed in the Capitol Building in Washington D.C. for a year.
Collier received a scholarship through a national talent competition through the Pratt Institute in New York City, one of the leading art schools in the United States.
Collier is a four-time recipient of a Caldecott Honor: Martin's Big Words, Rosa, Dave the Potter, and Trombone Shorty.
[3] Those four books are among nine for which Collier has received Coretta Scott King Award recognition as the winner or honor recipient.
The annual Coretta Scott King Awards, one for an illustrator and one for a writer, recognize the year's "most distinguished portrayal of African American experience in literature for children or teens".