In 1962, Ezra Jack Keats's picture book The Snowy Day introduced readers to young Peter, the first African American protagonist in a full-color children's book, who traipsed alone through the snowy, wondrous sidewalks of New York City. The book was a runaway success, capturing the Caldecott Medal and selling more than two million copies. In The Snowy Day and subsequent books, Keats's awareness of the city, its daily hum, and the role of its children are deeply felt and delicately rendered in words and bright collages and paintings. He made a prominent place for characters and places that had not been represented in children's books, saying about Peter, "My book would have him there simply because he should have been there all along."
Coinciding with The Snowy Day's 50th anniversary, the current publication features more than 75 illustrations alongside essays by Claudia Nahson and Maurice Berger, who discuss Keats's Jewish background, his advocacy of civil rights, his inventive art, and his wide-ranging influence.
Published in association with The Jewish Museum, New York
Exhibition Schedule:The Jewish Museum, New York
(09/09/11-01/12/12)The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Amherst, MA
(06/26/12-10/14/12)Contemporary Jewish Museum, San Francisco
(11/15/12-02/24/13)Akron Art Museum(March 2013, dates tbd)
- ISBN10 030017022X
- ISBN13 9780300170221
- Publish Date 25 October 2011
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 4 March 2021
- Publish Country US
- Imprint Yale University Press
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 104
- Language English