Review: Keats, E. J. (2011). The snowy day.

Keats, E. J. (2011). The snowy day. NY, NY: Viking, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group.

Originally published by The Viking Press in 1962.

One morning, Peter wakes to new snow having covered “everything as far as he could see.” Dressed in his now-famous red snowsuit with pointed hood, he spends the day exploring, making different patterns in the snow, watching others play, going crunch, crunch, crunch, and of course pretending.  At the end of his big day, his loving mother puts him into a warm bath, following which he sadly realizes he has been unable to hang on to his keepsake snowball.  But happily, he wakes the next day to find fresh snow once again.

The illustrations in this contemporary classic are texturally rich, owing to Keats’ use of copious mediums in creating the book: various paints, papers, and fabrics, interwoven into colorful collage.  By contrast, his text is simple, telling the story of an eager child who could be any child in the country, thrilled at the prospect of a day of adventuring in freshly fallen snow. The main character, however, is not just any child; when this picture book was published in 1962, Peter was more of a first: an African American protagonist in children’s literature.

Soft, pleasing, yet complex artwork combined with a universal childhood experience have made this a perennial favorite for over fifty years.  In a lengthy epilogue, real photos of renowned author/illustrator Ezra Jack Keats accompany an explanation of his creative process with this story, beginning with his hope over twenty years before to illustrate a picture book about a black child.  Original artwork, photos of people and places and images of real communications go along with discussion of the overwhelming positive reaction he received for The Snowy Day from all over the world, awards it received, and its continued influence on present-day generations as it “changed Keat’s life…” and publications “...profoundly.”

For further reading: 11 Picture Books for Fans of The Snowy Day

Among other works inspired by this classic, Amazon Prime subscribers can view a multi-episode animated series.