Product Description

"In this book sparkling with atmosphere, a small boy experiences the joys of a snowy day. The brief, vividly expressed text points out his new awareness."--The Horn Book. A Caldecott Honor Book. Full color.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5921 in Books
• Brand: INGRAM BOOK & DISTRIBUTOR
• Published on: 1976-10-28
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: .26 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 40 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780140501827
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Amazon.com Review

The Snowy Day, a 1963 Caldecott Medal winner, is the simple tale of a boy waking up to discover that snow has fallen during the night. Keats's illustrations, using cut-outs, watercolors, and collage, are strikingly beautiful in their understated color and composition. The tranquil story mirrors the calm presence of the paintings, and both exude the silence of a freshly snow-covered landscape. The little boy celebrates the snow-draped city with a day of humble adventures--experimenting with footprints, knocking snow from a tree, creating snow angels, and trying to save a snowball for the next day. Awakening to a winter wonderland is an ageless, ever-magical experience, and one made nearly visceral by Keats's gentle tribute.

The book is notable not only for its lovely artwork and tone, but also for its importance as a trailblazer. According to Horn Book magazine, The Snowy Day was "the very first full-color picture book to feature a small black hero"--yet another reason to add this classic to your shelves. It's as unique and special as a snowflake.

From Publishers Weekly
Now in a sturdy board-book format just right for youngest readers, Ezra Jack Keats's classic The Snowy Day, winner of the 1963 Caldecott Medal, pays homage to the wonder and pure pleasure a child experiences when the world is blanketed in snow. (Viking, $6.99 15p 6 mos.
up ISBN 0-670-86733-0 Jan.)
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
First Snow by Marie Louise Allen
Footprints Of A Sparrow by Niels Mogen Bodecker
Cynthia In The Snow by Gwendolyn Brooks
Read This With Gestures by John Ciardi
A Lost Snowflake by Charlotte B. Deforest
First Snowfall by Barbara Juster Esbensen
Snowball Wind by Aileen Fisher
Snowy Benches by Aileen Fisher
Snow by Mary Ann Hoberman
Don't Go, Jo! by Barbara Ireson
That Cheerful Snowman by Hannah Lyons Johnson
Moonwalk by X. J. Kennedy
Snowflake Souffle by X. J. Kennedy
Joe's Snow Clothes by Karla Kuskin
Snow by Karla Kuskin
Lying On Things by Dennis Lee
Winter by Myra Cohn Livingston
Joe by David Mccord
It Fell In The City by Eve Merriam
Please Bird by Kazue Mizumura
Snowy Morning by Lilian Moore
Winter Morning by Ogden Nash
And Then by Prince Redcloud
December Leaves by Kaye Starbird
The Snowstorm by Kaye Starbird
Snow Woman by Nancy Dingman Watson
Winter Is Tacked Down by Noemi Weygant
Snowflakes by Suk-joong Yoon
-- Table of Poems from Poem Finder®

Customer Reviews

The joy a child has in a snowy day.
A small book for children, particularly pre-schoolers, about a little boy who goes outside to play in the new fallen snow. It shows the simple joy and delight a child can have with newly fallen snow. I disagree with the comments of an earlier reviewer (Ms. Whittaker from Rush City, Minnesota, in 1998); the artwork is simple and direct because of the nature of the simple and quiet story and because the book is really aimed a pre-schoolers. Interestingly, the book won the 1963 Caldecott Medal for best illustration in a children's book. As far as I can tell, this book is the first winner which is centered about an African-American child. Hence, for this and other reasons, it is a book that should be on the shelf of any serious student of children literature.

Let it snow (y day)
When "The Snowy Day" first came out, it was considered groundbreaking. Unprecedented. Here, at last, was a picture book in which the protagonist is black. It's not an overtly political book, mind you. Just a nice story about a kid in the city playing in the snow. Having heard about this story for a long time, I decided now was the moment to see how well this book has stood up over time. Ezra Jack Keats has long passed from idle picture book author to a somewhat god-like figure of the children's book world, so does this early work stand out even today? If it was introduced for the first time now, would it be considered as good as it is? Yes and no. The book is both a fabulous creation, and a very simple, very normal, tale that everyone on one level or another is familiar with.

In this book, Peter wakes up to discover that snow has covered the city in the night. Delighted, he pulls on his bright red (and now world known) snowsuit and plunges into a day of exploring and playing. He makes fun tracks, and hits snow off the branches of trees. He constructs a smiling snowman and slides down steep mountains of snow. At the end of the day his mother gets him out of his wet clothes and gives him a nice hot bath. The next morning the snow is still there, and an ecstatic Peter calls up a friend to do the whole day over again.

When I was a child I loved (and still do) stories that took place in the big cities. Keats never draws an inordinate amount of attention to Peter's surroundings. So while you won't see skyscrapers or taxi cabs, there's a distinctly urban feel to the lay of the land. The text is nice and easy for the youngsters to understand. As for the cut-outs, they're a delight to look at. Picture books featuring cut-outs may be remembered best as belonging to such artists as Eric Carle or Leo Lionni, but I consider Mr. Keats to be the granddaddy of the art form. Aside from the beauty of the landscaping in this pictures, I loved the papers used in the book. The section in which Peter sits on the snow, a snowball embedded on his chest, the black sky is a-swirl in greens, blues, and browns. When Peter slides down a snow covered embankment, the sky is then a delightful twisty series of white smoke-like curlicues. And Peter's home itself is eloquently rendered. From the wrought iron bed frame to the multicolored wallpaper and tiles that enhance the setting, the book is the best possible combination of elegance and realism.

If it came out today, "Snowy Day" wouldn't garner an overly enthusiastic response from publishers and critics. Which isn't to say that it's unworthy of the praise already received. As I've tried to show, the book is a wonderful amalgamation of text, pattern, and emotion. One of the finest books written for children, and a great evocative story.

It's a classic (and a Caldecott Medal winner) for a reason!
This book is part of my standard baby shower gift package along with Goodnight Moon and The Runaway Bunny. With very few words it manages to tell a very simple, yet very elegant story that young children can relate to. The pictures are beautiful and draw children further into the story. As an added bonus, the main character is African-American. Though it makes no difference to the story, it was important to me as a child reading this book 25 years ago to see a kid that looked like me in a book where race was not the focus of the plot, and is important to children of any race reading it today. I cannot recommend this book highly enough for any child of any race, boy or girl.