The snowy day story
The Snowy Day Book Review
Skip to main contentBook review by Esther Ehrlich, Common Sense Media
Common Sense says
age 2+
Classic captures a kid's delight in freshly fallen snow.
Ezra Jack Keats Picture Book 1962
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What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that The Snowy Day follows a boy discovering the pleasures of new-fallen snow. Bright color cut-outs and lively language complement each other to create a story that's both soothing and exciting.
Community Reviews
Lebron12James3 Adult
December 18, 2021
age 16+
Really funny but super edgy
brysong Adult
September 27, 2020
age 2+
This title has:
Educational value
Great messages
What's the Story?
A young boy wakes to a world of freshly fallen snow and goes exploring throughout the cityscape in this gentle, glistening classic.
With bold text and whimsical collages, Ezra Jack Keats captures the delight kids feel in the simplest pleasures.
Is It Any Good?
THE SNOWY DAY challenges the assumption that more is better, inviting you and your kids into a world of slow, easy pleasures. Ezra Keats is remarkable in his ability to create a calming yet vibrant story, striking this balance gracefully in pictures and in text. His artwork is spare yet the pictures burst with brilliant color and expression. In many of the pictures, Peter lacks facial features except his eyes, but Keats manages, with the angle of his head and the composition, to convey feeling.
The text, similarly economical, is made up of just enough words to tell the story -- none of them too hard for a young reader to sound out or for a young listener to understand -- and they are vivid words used powerfully, often rhyming or repeating. The result is that kids (and parents too!) can settle into Peter's snowy world. A bonus in this sparkling story is the African-American main character -- an all-too-rare occurrence, still, in children's literature.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the pleasures of different types of weather: snowy days, rainy days, windy days, and more. Which is your favorite type of weather? Why?
How easy is it to create fun by yourself? Is it sometimes as much or more fun than playing with others?
Book Details
- Author: Ezra Jack Keats
- Illustrator: Ezra Jack Keats
- Genre: Picture Book
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Penguin Group
- Publication date: November 1, 1962
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 2 - 4
- Number of pages: 38
- Award: Caldecott Medal and Honors
- Last updated: November 4, 2019
Our Editors Recommend
For kids who love Picture books and books for boys
- Picture Books
- Books for Boys
- See all recommended book lists
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The Impact of The Snowy Day « Judy Newman at Scholastic
Behind The ScenesThe Legacy of the Beloved Picture Book
by Alexie Basil
Read these interesting facts about The Snowy Day to learn more about its cultural, historical, and literary impact. Share what you learn with your students to deepen their reading experience!
The Snowy Day has been a kid, family, and teacher favorite for more than half a century! But did you know its legacy goes far beyond the page?
This week, we were super-excited to learn more about the impact Ezra Jack Keats’s beloved picture book has had throughout the years—from when it was originally published in 1962 all the way to today. Read on to discover some fun facts about this Caldecott Medal–winning classic.
Peter was the first African American child to star in a full-color American picture book.
Published in the midst of the civil rights movement in the United States, The Snowy Day immediately drew attention from supporters and prominent public figures for featuring a Black child as its main character.
Ezra Jack Keats with illustrations of Peter he created.
In an NPR interview called “‘The Snowy Day’: Breaking Color Barriers, Quietly,” Deborah Pope, the Executive Director of the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation, explains, “[Keats] said, well, all the books he had ever illustrated, there had never been a child of color, and they’re out there—they should be in the books too.”
Peter was inspired by images of a young boy published in Life magazine.
Ezra Jack Keats was struck by a set of four photos published in an article in Life in May 1940. They feature a young Black child and show his thought process as he prepares to have a blood test done in Liberty County, Georgia.
Pictures to the Editors” clipping that inspired the character of Peter in The Snowy Day, from Life magazine, May 13, 1940
In his 1963 Caldecott Medal acceptance speech at the American Library Association in Chicago, Keats explained:
“Years ago, long before I ever thought of doing children’s books, while looking through a magazine I came upon four candid photos of a little boy about three or four years old.
His expressive face, his body attitudes, the very way he wore his clothes, totally captivated me. I clipped the strip of photos and stuck it on my studio wall, where it stayed for quite a while, and then it was put away.
“As the years went by, these pictures would find their way back to my walls, offering me fresh pleasure at each encounter.
“In more recent years, while illustrating children’s books, the desire to do my own story about this little boy began to germinate. Up he went again—this time above my drawing table. He was my model and inspiration.”
Ezra Jack Keats used Brooklyn as inspiration for the urban setting of The Snowy Day.
Keats chose to set Peter’s wintry adventures in his hometown of Brooklyn, New York. As the New York City Parks website explains, Peter and his friends “live and thrive in an urban world of tenements and empty lots [in Brooklyn], but their experiences—in play, imagination, feelings and friendship—are shared by all children.
”
To celebrate Keats’s and Peter’s origins, there is a bronze statue of Peter and his dachshund, Willie, on display in Prospect Park. Willie appears in a later book by Keats detailing Peter’s adventures called Peter’s Chair.
Peter and Willie, sculpted from bronze, basalt, and ceramic by Otto Neals. © Otto Neals/Courtesy Ezra Jack Keats Foundation & New York City Department of Parks & Recreation
Ezra Jack Keats used a collage technique to create the beautiful illustrations in The Snowy Day.
During his Caldecott Medal acceptance speech, Keats detailed the fascinating way each illustration came together, literally piece by piece, through a collage technique using fabrics from all over the world:
“I had no idea as to how the book would be illustrated, except that I wanted to add a few bits of patterned paper to supplement the painting.
“As work progressed, one swatch of material suggested another, and before I realized it, each page was being handled in a style I had never worked in before. A rather strange sequence of events came into play. I worked—and waited. Then quite unexpectedly I would come across just the appropriate material for the page I was working on.”
Peter’s mother’s dress is made of the kind of oilcloth used for lining cupboards.
For example, the off-white bed linen in the opening pages is made of a Belgian canvas. Peter’s mother’s dress is made of “the kind of oilcloth used for lining cupboards.” The snow was made by “rolling white paint over wet inks on paper,” and the snow effect was achieved “by cutting patterns out of gum erasers, dipping them into paint, and stamping them onto the page.
”
Scholastic’s own Andrea Davis Pinkney, author of Martin Rising and a Coretta Scott King Author Award winner, wrote A Poem for Peter: The Story of Ezra Jack Keats and the Creation of The Snowy Day.
We asked Andrea Davis Pinkney why she wrote this book, and this is what she told us:
“A Poem for Peter is a love letter to The Snowy Day’s beautiful boy in his red snowsuit, and a thank-you to the artist who brought that child into our hearts. I wrote the book to celebrate discovery, wonder, enchantment, and hope!”
In 2017, the United States Postal Service issued special stamps featuring Peter.
Fifty-five years after its original publication, the US Postal Service commemorated the red snowsuit–clad protagonist in a set of four special Forever stamps.
Credit: © USPS
When announcing the stamps, Roderick Sallay, the US Postal Service Government Relations and Public Policy Acting Executive Director, explained:
“Before this book, children of color—African American children, in particular—saw very little representation of themselves in picture books. And then came Peter. A young boy who awoke to find the world outside his window blanketed in snow, and who couldn’t wait to get outside and play. Through Peter, children of color found a positive representation of themselves, which instilled a sense of pride and self-acceptance. One that said, I both fit and I belong.”
What does The Snowy Day mean to you? We’d love to hear from you! Please share with us on social media using the hashtag #ScholasticBookClubs.
About Ezra Jack Keats
Ezra Jack Keats (1916–1983) is the Caldecott Medal–winning author of The Snowy Day, which broke ground in 1962 as one of the first picture books for young children to portray a realistic, multicultural urban setting. Since its initial publication, The Snowy Day has come to be regarded as both a children’s classic and one of the most important picture books ever written/illustrated. Ezra Jack Keats’s legacy lives on in the popularity of his most famous character, Peter—the star of The Snowy Day, Whistle for Willie, Peter’s Chair, A Letter to Amy, Goggles!, and others. Visit the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation online at ezra-jack-keats.org.
This Book Is Available from Scholastic Book Clubs
The Snowy Day
by Ezra Jack Keats
A Beloved Winter Classic for All Ages
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TAGS: Authors,Award Winners,Classics,Classroom Favorites,Ezra Jack Keats,Picture Books,The Snowy Day
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Composition on the theme "Winter Day" » "Essay about .
.." ✔️ "Winter Day"
Clear winter day. The sun shines blindingly bright. Everything around is white. Soft fluffy snow evenly covered the ground. Snow is everywhere: on benches, on rooftops, on trees. The trees stand in the snow like apple trees in bloom. White-white. And only in some places you can see red bunches of mountain ash. There are many bird tracks under the mountain ash. Crows, bullfinches, tits fly to peck berries. Spruce is very elegant under the caps of snow. The fresh air smells of pine needles. Beautiful winter outfit and birches. nine0005
Cold. Snow crunches underfoot. From the chimney of a small snow-covered house, smoke rises into the sky in a column. Frosty day. Frost covered the river with ice. The guys with joyful cries, waving their arms, descend on a sled from the steep bank of the river. They are not afraid of frost. They are having fun. And the snow glitters in the sun, sparkles, shimmers.
But the winter day is short. Twilight will come quickly and imperceptibly.
"Beautiful winter day"
It is good when the day in winter is clear and sunny. You wake up in the morning, and the sun hits the window through the fabulous ice patterns on the glass. White clouds float across the blue sky like summer. Yes, only the winter sun hangs in the sky and does not heat at all. And the sky is not as blue as in summer, but much paler. nine0005
Usually on such a clear winter day, a strong frost creaks outside. You go outside to go to school, wrapped up to the very nose. Around everything is white-white, it just blinds your eyes! It's time to wear black glasses!
You run on the white trampled down snow, and it pleasantly crunches under your feet. You can scoop snowflakes into a glove and study their structure. They are small works of art of winter nature.
After school, I want to take a walk, roll in the pure snow of snowdrifts, ride down an ice slide. But lips and nose are cold. And your hands will also get cold, even with gloves.
Just take your hands on something icy, as they immediately begin to stiffen. After a walk, you run home all flushed and warm your fingers for a long time under a stream of hot water. And they are on fire! nine0005
And then it quickly gets dark, a small reddish sun sets in the west. Winter days are short. Only towards the end of January, in February, you notice that daylight hours are increasing.
Winter Day
I love winter. Every year I really look forward to the first snow. With its dazzling whiteness, it transforms everything around. It is impossible not to admire the trees, whose branches were bare yesterday, and are now covered with white-white snow or hoarfrost.
Snow covers with openwork lace paths dirty from autumn slush, lonely flowerbeds, dark gray roofs of houses. A snow-white veil falls on everything around and cannot but please the eye. nine0005
What a pleasure it is to watch the snow fall! I especially like to watch the unique dance of snowflakes in the light of evening lights, to watch how they, like moths, swarm under the lamp of a street lamp.
And I also really like to walk along the snow-white path in the evening, on which there are no traces yet, and listen to the snow creak underfoot, admire its magical shimmer.
It's great to open the window on a winter morning and take a deep breath of fresh frosty air. Every winter I hang a feeder on one of the trees in our yard. Every day I put a treat for the birds in it, and then watch from the window how they "lunch". nine0005
Winter days can be harsh. If there is a snowstorm outside or a scorching strong wind blows, then I enjoy spending time at home reading a book or watching an interesting movie. And in good weather, I love to make snowmen and build snow castles in the yard. I have many friends, and on a fine winter day we all go sledding down a big mountain together. And after such a walk, we go to visit each other, drink hot tea with sweets and remember how great we had fun.
I, of course, consider the New Year to be the best winter day. I always look forward to this holiday, because I like to decorate the Christmas tree, receive and give gifts.
nine0005
Every winter day is good in its own way. No time to be bored in winter.
Winter day (3 variants and 15 similar topics)
Briefly
15 sentences / 161 words
Golden autumn is gone. Here comes the long-awaited winter. There is complete silence around. Everything seemed to fall into a deep sleep. Everywhere lies soft and fluffy white snow, which sparkles so beautifully under the rays of the winter sun. The sky is so bright. There is not a single cloud, from this everything around becomes even more beautiful. Only occasionally small snowflakes fly from above. Hoarfrost left bizarre, but very beautiful patterns on the trunks and branches of trees. nine0005
I go to school and continue to admire the beauty of the winter landscape. In winter, I try to walk more in order to fully enjoy the beauties of winter nature.
When my friends and I come home from school, we love to lie down in the snow and make snow angels. But the most fun is, of course, the snowball fight.
When your main task is to throw more snow on your friends than they do on you, running one after another through the snowdrifts, and at this time the snow crunches so pleasantly under your feet. nine0005
Remembering all this, I can say that winter is beautiful because it has a lot of positive aspects.
Option 2
20 sentences / 297 words
I love winter with all my heart! This is a truly amazing, magical season, when the snowy world around seems like a fairy tale. I especially like fine winter days, and this year there were a lot of them. One of them I remember best.
It fell just in time for my mother's birthday, February 17, and was a real gift for all of us. Before that, the weather could not settle down for a whole week. If snow fell at night, then by morning it would certainly melt, then suddenly gray clouds would come and a cold prickly blizzard would begin, the temperature would drop sharply, but after a few hours the thermometer would again rise above zero.
But this morning it was different. nine0005
The bright sun shone through our windows, and the glass was covered with a beautiful frosty pattern. Pulling back the curtain and looking out into the street, I was amazed: everything around was covered with fresh, almost untouched snow. When I went to the store to buy flowers for my mother, the snow crunched loudly under my feet. I was so pleased to feel how the boots sunk deep into him. It got a little warmer during the day, but contrary to my expectations, melt rivers did not flow down the roads again. The street was still fresh and calm, only the trees slightly twitched their branches in a light, pleasant breeze. nine0005
Everyone was in a great mood and no one wanted to celebrate their birthday at home in such weather, so immediately after the feast we went for a walk. Taking cheesecakes and ice cubes with us, we went to the nearest park, where the locals had already managed to fill in wide, steep slides on snow-covered hills. My friends and I rode from them until the evening, while the adults were talking animatedly about something, sitting on a bench, drinking tea from a thermos and eating pies.
When it got completely dark outside and the lanterns were lit, large fluffy flakes fell from the sky. They swirled beautifully, illuminated by diffused yellow light, and slowly settled down on our shoulders. It was the perfect end to a wonderful winter day. nine0005
Option 3
33 sentences / 386 words
I love winter very much. For me, winter is a magical time of the year. But recently, due to global warming, our winters do not please us for very long with frosty days and snow. However, every winter there are classic truly winter days
Most of all I remember Christmas winter day. I was about eight years old. The weather was quite warm for almost the whole of December, and before the new year everyone was looking forward to snow. But, unfortunately, the New Year passed without a single snowflake. A week went by and still no snow. On this day, we decided to go to the village to our grandmother, to celebrate Christmas. The next morning I woke up from a bright light that beat from the street.
I couldn't figure out what was keeping me from sleeping peacefully. I went to the window and through the openwork frosty patterns on the glass I saw a full yard of snow, large snowflakes slowly circled in the air, as if dancing a winter waltz. The snow covered everything around with a snow-white fluffy blanket: trees, river, ravines. Each branch was snow-white because of frost. The sun shone brightly, and the snow shone, as if not snow lay everywhere, but many precious stones. The landscape outside the window resembled the possessions of the Snow Queen from Andersen's fairy tale, only the mistress of winter was missing. nine0005
I immediately woke up my parents, they were fascinated by what they saw. Mom immediately remembered the lines of the famous A. Pushkin: “Frost and sun, a wonderful day ...” The day really was wonderful and simply fabulous. Everyone was in a good mood. We put on warm coats and coats and went outside. I looked like a little bear cub. The snow was knee-deep, we played tag, ran after each other, moving with difficulty through the snow, laughed and wallowed in snowdrifts.
