The Snowy Day Board Book by Ezra Jack Keats Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Snowy Day Board Book
Book Review: Magical Fun in the City's Snow!
Summary: 5 Stars
Do you remember the first time you awoke to find the world all filled with white snow and the quiet that follows a large snowfall? It was beautiful, and its stillness and pristine appearance drew you out into the cold very quickly. This book wonderfully recreates that experience, making us all young again, and helping youngsters appreciate the potential joys of snow. The book has remarkable artwork that combines imaginative snowflake cut-outs with collages of hand-made papers and figure cutouts to make you feel like you've entered a fairy land, which you have.One of the positive elements of the illustrations is that they portray a young man of color in an unselfconscious way. He nicely represents every boy and girl who has ever enjoyed the snow.
I felt a very peaceful feeling after reading the book, as though I had just been out playing in the snow with him and was enjoying being fatigued in the warmth of the house.
This will make a great book to read to youngsters because they will be interested in the illustrations and the activities that are portrayed. With a close matching of illustrations to words, this book will also be helpful in preparing your child to learn to read. I was reminded of Snowflake Bentley as I reviewed the many wonderful snowflake patterns on the pages.
The book is well deserving of its Caldecott Medal for outstanding illustrations.
After you finish, I suggest that you think of ways that the rain, fog, and sunny days can provide magical opportunities for pretend fun, as well. After all, you can't make snow angels every day. But you can use your imagination, always!
Look for the beauty in every moment and in every one!
Book Review: Number one Christmas book
Summary: 5 Stars
This was a favourite of mine as child and has become a favourite with my children. The simple story of a boy exploring the snow in the city is unusually illustrated with striking, collage type images. The text is easy to read and lends itself well to reading aloud. Following Peter's example and making "snow angels" has become a family tradition for us. It has a lovely twist at the end which always makes me smile.Book Review: The joy of being a Little Boy
Summary: 5 Stars
"The Snowy Day" was the first book written by Ezra Jack Keats (formerly Katz). It was the winner of the Caldecott Medal in 1963, was cited by the NY Public Library as one of the 100 most influential books of the 20th century in 1996, won a citation from the Brooklyn Art Books for children in 1973 and was chosen by the US State Department for its Touring Collection in 1971. The author Keats grew up in Brooklyn and changed his name from Katz to Keats after World War II. Because of the discrimination he faced, he became the first American picture book maker to give a black child a major role in children's books and literature.
Keats was inspired to write this book and develop the central character of Peter (a boy in this book about four) because he had become so enchanted with a photograph of a small boy in Life magazine. He cut out these pictures and put them on his studio walls. This boy in the magazine developed into Keat's character named Peter. Peter would become the main character in six more books until he was portrayed as a young adolescent in "Pet Show".
This is a lovely book which has Peter waking up to a "world of snowy white" delighted with the new snow and his day of playing with snowballs, making snowmen and angels and dreaming of another new day (although he feared that the snow would have melted over night). To Peter's delight, he woke up on the second day to even more new snow. The book is delightful. I loved the part where Peter, just being filled with the joy of being a little boy, tried to capture the day and the snow by putting it in his pocket so that he could take it inside when he has to go into his house.
Keats writes, "Before he got into bed, he looked in his pocket. His pocket was empty. The snowball wasn't there. He felt very sad." What a delight when the little boy is once again filled with joy the next day discovering that the snow is still there as well as some new cover.
This is a wonderful book to experience for any young child. Keeping that wonder alive in a child so that they look at the world with the eyes of Peter embracing each new day is awesome. There are lessons to be taught in the book as well about diversity, friendship, hope, love, being patient about growing up and being able to enjoy the moment and seize the day.
Keats summed up the purpose for writing this book and series with this statement: "Just to get the feeling of this wonderful little boy. I wanted to convey the joy of being a little boy alive on a certain kind of day - of being for that moment -The air is cold, you touch the snow, aware of the things to which all children are so open."
A very sweet book.
Bentley/2007