Book Summary:
The Snowy Day, by Ezra Jack Keats, is a sensory story about a little boy named Peter, living in the city, who one day wakes up to see that a lot of snow has fallen overnight. Peter goes outside to explore the snow in the pure joy, present-in-the-moment way that children experience life.
APA Reference:
Keats, E. J. (1962). The snowy day. New York: The Viking Press.
My Impressions:
My favorite part of the book is when Peter walks through the snow with his toes pointing in, then out, and turns around to examine his footprints. I did not grow up with snow, so as an adult experiencing snow for the first time, I identified a lot with how Peter was experiencing it in the book. I remember listening to the "crunch, crunch" of my footsteps, then turning back to check them out.
The story is simple, but beautiful in its simplicity. The illustrations, done using collage, add to the narrative, which is an important characteristic of many Caldecott winners. I am also interested in the political implications of this book, the first full-color and Caldecott-winner depicting an African-American main character and set in an urban setting. This is deeply important for anyone interested in the history of children's literature because the Caldecott award started in 1938, taking 25 years until a Black character could star in a book not merely accepted as good literature for children, but award-winning literature. I admire Keats for creating this book, which came out in the early 60s, during the Civil Rights movement. His character, Peter, who went on to star in many of Keats' books, went down in history as one of the most important children's book characters for breaking the mold and exposing society to multiculturalism in children's books. In the review posted below, you will read that Keats found an inspiring picture in Life magazine of a little Black boy, and waited for 20 years for a book to be written for which he could illustrate this character, but it never came (or never was allowed to become...) so he created the book himself, a quiet but nonetheless important role to take on as an ally of the Civil Rights movement.
Professional Review:
Having just gotten up from the dinner table and looked outside, I was shocked to see the ground covered with snow. No thrill for an adult who has to drive a car. But what a contrast when you read about a little boy named Peter who awakens one morning, and discovers that snow has fallen overnight. Peter begins his wonderful outside adventure by making snow angels and building a snowman. When it is time for Peter to go inside, he brings a special souvenir inside with him. This classic book s colorful illustrations won the 1963 Caldecott Medal, and in honor of its 50th anniversary a special edition has been issued. It includes 8 pages of special bonus material. Keats had a picture from Life magazine of a little black boy and for 22 years waited to illustrate a book using that child. The opportunity never came so he wrote his own and featured a black child named Peter. He wanted to use a distinctive style for this book and he turned to collage using papers from around the world. The fascinating part of this additional material are copies of letters that he received from the famous and not so famous and their remarked about the impact seeing a black child in a picture book had on their lives. Surprisingly readers also learn about the angst that Keats suffered knowing that he would have to make an acceptance speech for the Caldecott Award. Art was his world not public speaking, but his book has had a profound impact and has been named one of the 100 Most Important Children s Books of the 20th Century by the New York Public Library.
Courtot, M. [Review of the book The snowy day, by E. J. Keats]. Childen's Literature. Retrieved from http://libproxy.library.unt.edu:3627/#/bookdetail/1/1/milQnnOnkRjnmpoL/bdrtop
Ideas for Librarians:
I have noticed that singing, rhyming, and counting activities are common in StoryTime. My introductory activity to reading The Snowy Day, which I would plan to do sometime during the winter, would be doing this counting rhyme from the State Library of Iowa:
Too Many Snowflakes!
One little snowflake
fell on my hat (pat head)
Two little snowflakes
melt just like that! (snap fingers)
Three little snowflakes
sparkle at night (hold up three fingers)
Four little snowflakes
help make the world bright. (hold up four fingers)
Five little snowflakes
are pretty to see (hold up five fingers)
But hundreds of snowflakes
are covering me! (pretend to brush off snow with arms)
Also, check out the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation! Did you know there is an Ezra Jack Keats Book Award?
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