From The Huffington Post:
If you’re looking to build a diverse children’s library, one of the first books you’re likely to come across is “The Snowy Day.”
Ezra Jack Keats wrote and illustrated “The Snowy Day” in 1962 as a response to the overwhelming whiteness of children’s literature. Upon publication, it became the first picture book to feature an African-American protagonist.
“None of the manuscripts I’d been illustrating featured any black kids ― except for token blacks in the background,” he wrote in an unpublished autobiography. “My book would have him there simply because he should have been there all along.”
But “The Snowy Day” is beloved for much more than its political importance. It’s a relatable yet somehow magical story about a boy named Peter exploring his neighborhood on a snowy day, and the illustrations and text are deceptively simple.
One of my son’s favorite pages shows Peter sitting in a warm bath after telling his mother about his adventures. We always read the text together: “And he thought and thought and thought about them.”
Read more at Huffington Post.
Image source Huffington Post.
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