The Snowy Day

by Ezra Jack Keats

Paperback, 1962

Status

Available

Call number

823

Series

Collection

Publication

Scholastic, Inc. (1962), 32 pages

Description

The adventures of a little boy in the city on a very snowy day.

User reviews

LibraryThing member dnati
This is a children's book about a little boy discovering the first snow of winter. He really enjoys playing in the snow and thinking of new things he can do with his body and the snow. It contains a lot of discriptive language and some onomatopoeia that helps to portray his excitement about the
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snow. There is a part where he tries to store a snowball in his pocket for safekeeping only to find that after his evening bath it isn't there anymore. He is sad because of this and dreams that ALL of the snow melts in the sun. Then the next day comes, and he sees that a fresh blanket of snow had fallen while he slept and he goes out to play again!
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LibraryThing member annajamieson
The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats was the Caldecott Award winning book in 1963. It is a good book and is about the story of a little boy, Peter, who has many adventures in the snow one winter day. After his fun day of playing, Peter has to go inside, and because he is afraid the snow will disappear
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over night, he places a snowball in his pocket. This obviously poses a problem with the heat of his home. It is a great story for kids to read in the winter when they can hopefully have some days of snow. It would also be a good book to explain to children about how ice melts because the child in the book does not know that his snowball will melt when he goes inside. Most young children may not understand that concept yet either.
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LibraryThing member messelti
The Snowy Day recounts a young boy’s adventure into the fresh-fallen snow on a winter day. Ezra Jack Keat’s illustrations are colorful, detailed and pull along the text that accompanies it to turn a regular day into an adventure. The text is as simple as the plot but chock full sensory details,
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such as sounds or the feeling of snow under boots, which really transport readers into the winter snow. Highly recommended for any picture book collection, especially in public libraries.
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LibraryThing member mlboliver
Ezra Keats' "The Snow Day" is a story about a young African-American child who spends the day only enjoying himself playing in the snow. He goes in to dry off and go to bed, but he is worried the snow will be gone when he awakes. To his surprise, there is more snow on the ground when he wakes up,
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so he gets his friend and the play in the snow all day.

I enjoyed this book because, once again, an author really captures the soul of a child. Plain and simple: all Peter wants to do is play in the snow. The innocence in Keats' character Peter is precious. It takes me back to when I was a little girl lying in bed praying for snow to be on the ground when I woke up.

While trying to find a multicultural book, I read that Keats' book was the first childrens book to feature an African American child as the leading character. Perhaps the teacher could read this book to her children while they make snowflakes cut from white construction paper during the winter season. Also, I think it would be important to tell the kids that Peter was the first African-American character placed in a children's book.
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LibraryThing member bplma
Remember the excitement of waking up in the morning and seeing it had snowed during the night? Remember bundling up in winter clothes and going outside just to watch your tracks and make snow angels and watch the cars drive by in the snow? Ezra Jack Keats remembers, and the urban setting will
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appeal to us city dwellers---Great in the classroom to stimulate discussions of winter that reflect students experiences more than the (much more numerous, but lovely) country-snow books.
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LibraryThing member Heather19
In all honesty, I don't remember a thing about the actual plot/story of this book.... but I remember loving the illustrations as a kid, simply *loving* them.
LibraryThing member cjfox73
The illustrations are beautiful, calm and serene, just like a real snowy morning. The experience of the snowy morning is timeless and children will respond to the calming tone.
LibraryThing member MrsLee
I love this book. The pictures are full of life in their simplicity.
LibraryThing member dchaves
How captivating to find a black child on a snowy day. All those winter childhood sports that I felt my brown face, surrounded by the fur from the hood of my winter jacket, looked out of place.
LibraryThing member jeriannthacker
Peter wakes up to a world of snow and discovers all of the fun that can be had with the fluffy white stuff. Simple story, classic illustrations. Caldecott Winner
LibraryThing member Leshauck
Kids love snow. When we wake up and see that snow it doesnt matter how cold it is, the snow brings warm feelings to our heart.
LibraryThing member michellehef
The book snow day was about a little boy that goes and explores in the snow. He makes tracks with his feet in 3 different ways. When he is walking he finds a stick and drags it on the ground to make tracks. He makes a snow angel and he makes a snowman. Then when he is about to go inside he put
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snowball in his pocket.

My personal reaction to the book was that it is a nice book for the winter time and to show kids what all there is to do in the snow. I like that it show a lot of snow because we do not see snow that pretty and white here in Oklahoma.

You could use the book in the class room in the winter when the kids are exited about the snow. After you have read the book you could have the kids’ think of what different things would make tracks like in the snow. You could have different things to make tracks with on the table and have they put it in some paint to make tracks.
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LibraryThing member heather_hill
The Snowy Day is about a boy named Peter who, upon awakening one morning, realizes it has snowed a tremendous amount during the night. Peter goes out into the snow and has many different adventures as he plays. He keeps a snowball in the pocket of his jacket, but it melts before he goes to bed.
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That night, Peter dreams about the sun melting all the snow, but when he wakes, more snow has fallen; he and his friend go back out into the snow for more adventures.

Living in Oklahoma my entire life, I sympathize with Peter when he is afraid the snow will be gone when he wakes up because we never seemed to have more than one day of snow at a time. My brother and I used to have contests to see who could assemble the biggest snowman and which one of us could form the most snowballs. Of course, by early afternoon we'd both be covered in mud, and our mother would force us into the house and out of the muck.

In an extension for the classroom, I would have my students draw what adventures they would have during a snow day like the one depicted in the story. I could also have them re-write the ending of the story as if the sun had melted the snow, like in Peter's dream, or as if so much snow had fallen that Peter was snowed in.
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LibraryThing member cvyork
Honestly, it probably isn't as good as Whistle for Willie or Goggles, but it is an important book because I think it was the first Caldecott winner where the main character is a minority, the illustrations though, are beautiful, typical of keats
LibraryThing member chapter_raptor
The adventures of a little boy in the city on a very snowy day.
This is one of my favorite books from my childhood! I love the pictures!
LibraryThing member hartn
The Snowy Day. By Ezra Jack Keats

Very simple illustrations with sharp contrasts give this book a warmth that is hard to explain. The artwork is collage with paint over it and some sketching (for faces). These images serve to give the reader very concrete shapes but without the lines that cartoon or
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sketch images require. The background, snow and sky mostly, is very dreamlike and offers subtler colors, faded, layered and pastel. The story does not offer the same warmth and excitement that the illustrations do, and stretching over two days without much in the way of drama or action is not as unified as one would hope. The world of the story is very much the central characters world, both known and made by Peter. The space and time of the story also has a momentary quality – with allusions to Peter’s age relative to other children, and winter’s end alluded to in dreams of a hot summer sun. Peter and the snow are great friends despite these allusions, and the new day at the end offers a change in the landscape – with Peter sharing the new day with a friend from his building. The story grew on me after a repeat reading – and it was able to get the desired result of sleep from the person I read it to. The story is very much a ‘here and now’ story, and is probably great for early ages up to beginning and independent readers. There are few surprises in the text, and the illustrations offer a lot more than the story and text do. The book won a Caldecott medal, though the text may not offer much for an older reader.
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LibraryThing member ampitcher
great to read to children and connecting it with the season and you could ask what their favorite things to do in the winter are
LibraryThing member raizel
Delightful, quiet book of a young boy's adventures in the snow. Collage-like, colorful pictures. Few words.
LibraryThing member HeatherMcCool
A little boy named Peter awoke to everything covered in snow. He spent the day outside doing a variety of different winter activities such as; making snowmen and angels and much much more! When it was time to inside Peter packs a snowball into his pocket to save for the next day. Much to his
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dismay, Peter finds that the snowball is missing before going to bed. That night he dreams that by the next morning the snow has completely melted away. However, when he awakes the next morning he finds yet another snowday full of even deeper adventures.

Growing up I loved playing in the snow and this book reminds me of myself as a young child. I remember saving snowballs in our freezer just in case there was no snow left the next day.

I would use this book to talk about Winter as one of the four season, and also on a unit about the different types of weather. Another way this book could be used is when talking about different types of foot prints (tracks) by comparing those made by Peter in the story to footprints other animals and people make. I think it would be fun to explore the foot prints of each individual in the class and point out how each of us differnet and unique in our own way and then look at other animals tracks.
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LibraryThing member jrjohnson1
This would be a great book to read during the winter. It would be a great book to start of a unit, when learning about weather and winter. It talks about how snow only happen when its cold outside.
LibraryThing member jhsmith
This book is good for ages 4th and under. It is a great winter story, while teaching readers/listeners to play by themselves. It also talks about not being able to play with the "big kids" and still having fun.
LibraryThing member baphilipson
The first thing I noticed about this book is that the main character was African American. I liked this a lot because all of the other books I read only had White children. I think this is a great book to read in the classroom because of it's diversity. It will make the African American children
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happy because they will feel like they are more involved in that story.
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LibraryThing member acwheeler
Loved this book now and as a child! Great little story with just enough words for kids to easily read and enjoy the great pictures! I would use this story in my class for sure!
LibraryThing member RoseMarion
One snowy day, little Peter’s imagination runs wild as he finds unique wonders within the freshly fallen snow. He can make snow angels, snowmen, and fun tracks in the white fluffy snow. He even pretends to be a mountain climber and slides down the big snow banks. At the end of the day his new
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friend, a snowball, melts. However, magic awaits him the very next day because it has snowed again!

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats is a classic picture book that captures the innocence of youth and the universal childhood joy of playing in the snow. The winner of the 1963 Caldecott Medal, The Snowy Day has stood the test of time and with the stormy weather of late, there doesn’t seem to be a more appropriate story to read aloud with your little ones!
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LibraryThing member mdkladke
The Snowy Day has been one of my favorite books since I was a little kid. If you have ever played in the snow you know what it feels like to be Peter in the story. He does what every child wants to do in the snow on a snowy day.

Language

Original language

English

Original publication date

1962

Physical description

9 x 7.5 inches

ISBN

0590030310 / 9780590030311

Other editions

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