modernmarvel's Full Review: Ezra Jack Keats - The Snowy Day
Probably the best thing about having kids is getting to relive your own childhood. Growing up in the Northeast, I remember watching for the first big snowfall of the winter, listening to the radio for the official announcement that school was canceled and the elation of playing in the first snow. There were endless possibilities: snowballs, snow forts, snow fights, snow angels, snow girls. Just walking and leaving tracks seemed magical. At the end of the day, when I realized for the first time that I was cold and my feed were numb, my mother would give me a warm bath and we would have hot chocolate and popcorn.
The Snowy Day brings this all back. The story is about Peter, a boy about 8 or 9, who wakes up to find that it has snowed. He gets dressed and ventures outside to play. He makes tracks, knocks snow out of a tree with a stick, makes a snow angel and a snowman. He tries to join the big boys in a snowball fight, but learns that he is not quite big enough to play with the older boys. At the end of the day he puts a snowball in his pocket and goes inside. His mother gives him a warm bath and he tells her about his day. He checks for his snowball and it is gone. He has a dream that, like his snowball, the snow outside has melted, but wakes up the next day to find more snow. His friend from across the hall comes to call for him and they go out to play.
This story doesn't offer any great morals. Instead, children (and adults!) relate to it because it offers emotional insight into the simple pleasures of the first big snow fall. It also reassures children that when you are tired and cold, your parent will come to make you warm again and will want to hear about your adventures. The warmth in this book is not only physical, but emotional.
The book is also interesting in that the main character, Peter, is black and lives in an apartment in the city. I always try to find examples of diversity for my children's bookshelf and this book is great for that purpose. Peter does the exact same things my kids enjoy. They have never mentioned that Peter is black, but simply accept it. My kids have been much more interested about why Peter lives in an apartment, since we don't have any in our neighborhood. This has sparked some conversation about different kinds of housing and urban life.
The story is told with very few words, so the emphasis is on the illustrations. This is great for young children who still have a short attention span. The story also appeals to older children who can relate to playing outside in the snow. My oldest has tried out some of Peter's actions in the book by making tracks in the snow and snow angels.
The illustrations are simple and mostly focus on the people, with little in the way of background. They look like artistic collages and are realistic enough that even very young children will understand what they are looking at.
FINAL RECOMMENDATION
This is a great storybook and my kids have enjoyed sitting on my lap to hear the story over and over again. It makes a great late fall and winter read, but we enjoy it year round. I highly recommend it for the quality of the storytelling, the nicely-done illustrations and the ability to introduce diversity in a non-threatening way.
No book has captured the magic and sense of possibility of the first snowfall better than The Snowy Day. Universal in its appeal, the story has become...More at HotBookSale
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 awarenes...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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