| "One winter morning Peter woke up and looked out the window. Snow had fallen during the night. It covered everything as far as he could see..." (from the first line) "In this book sparkling with atmosphere, a small boy experiences the joys of a snowy day. The brief, vividly expressed text points out his new awareness".Q"The Horn Book". A Caldecott Honor Book. Full color.
Annotation:
First published in 1962, THE SNOWY DAY was the first full-color picture book to feature an African-American as its main character. One day a boy named Peter wakes up to discover that snow has fallen during the night. After breakfast, Peter dons his red snowsuit and solitarily explores his newly snowy world. He enjoys such activities as making snow angels and building a snowman, and even considers joining some bigger boys in a snowball fight, although he realizes that he's not yet old enough for such activities. After a day full of fun, Peter tucks a snowball in his pocket and returns home. Later, however, he is disappointed to discover that his snowball has melted away. That night he dreams that all the snow has melted, but in the morning he is delighted to discover that not only is his neighborhood still snow-covered, but that it's also still snowing. Once again, he ventures out into the snow for a day of fun--this time accompanied by his friend from across the hall. This peaceful, gentle story, which is illustrated with torn paper collages and watercolor paintings, is the winner of the 1963 Caldecott Medal.
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Author Bio| Ezra Jack Keats | | Ezra Jack Keats's style of illustration--colored cut-paper collages or blends of acrylic paint, is instantly recognizable. Keats's mother encouraged his artistic abilities but his father warned him not to become an artist as he would starve and "have a terrible life." Despite this warning, Keats did become an artist and won three scholarships to art schools. He served in the Air Force during World War II and began to find work as an illustrator. Keats illustrated many works of other artists before writing and illustrating a work of his own--that effort, THE SNOWY DAY won the Caldecott Medal in 1963. The lead character of that book, a young African-American boy named Peter, appeared in a number of other works by Keats including WHISTLE FOR WILLIE (1964) and DREAMS (1974). |
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