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I woke up this morning to a beautiful dusting of snow and frosted mountain tops and thought to myself, this is the perfect day to review The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats.
The Snowy Day is probably the most famous of Ezra Jack Keats’ books. It is a Caldecott Award-winning book that is filled with a beautifully paced story coupled with delightful illustrations. You can check out the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation to learn more about the author and other information about programs to encourage young authors on their website.
The story starts out with Peter once again (you can find Peter’s first story here), this time waking up to find snow covering the neighborhood outside his window. He treks out into the snow and explores the neighborhood. He makes footprints in the snow, finds a stick, and sees some “big kids” having a snowball fight (and decides not to join). He saves some snowballs in his pockets so he can have them later. After his exploration, Peter goes home and is welcomed by his mom. He takes a warm bath before going to bed, hoping there will be more snow tomorrow.
This book captures the wonder and joy that snow brings, regardless of where you live. I love the slow pace of the book that fully enjoys the simplicity of the little things. The illustrations are beautiful and playful. The story is so approachable, any child can recreate or recall a similar experience, which I think is wonderful.
I would highly recommend checking out this book from the library or buying a copy to keep in rotation for the winter! If you would like to pick up this book, you can find it here, here, or here.