The Snowy Day

Being that winter is officially in full-force here in Cleveland, this seemed fitting for today.

The Snowy Day is by Ezra Jack Keats, and is another classic children’s picture-book. It received the Caldecott Award in 1963, and it definitely deserved it. At that time, most picture-books were dominated by caucasian characters and families; and this book helped break that color barrier with the main character being a young African American boy. This story focuses on the simple joy and wonder that fills Peter’s imagination on the first snow of the year. As a kid I used to always love reading this story in the winter, because it made me want to go outside and do all of the things Peter does (snowball fights, snowmen, snowangels, footprints, etc.). I also remember how fascinated I was with the cut-paper style illustrations Keats created. I can’t help but think picture-books are one of the main reasons I became an artist.

As we get older, the joy of snowfall starts to diminish, as it becomes more of a burden than a surprise. We hear so many people complaining all the time about winter conditions and how they hate the cold when in reality if we all acted more like Peter, we could enjoy ourselves, as well as the beauty of the natural world. In my opinion, I would much rather have all 4 seasons than never get to see any snow at all. I don’t know call me crazy, or just call me Peter.

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