The Snowy Day

Rating:
Summary: The joy a child has in a snowy day.
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: A timeless tale of a child's appreciation of a snowy day
Review: Exra Jack Keats' "A Snowy Day" is utterly timeless. As simple and charming and lovely today as it was when first published in 1963, it describes the small adventures of Peter, a city boy who wakes up one day to find the city entirely shrouded in snow. Peter does what any other red-blooded child would do: he puts on his snowsuit and runs outside. There he indulges in the age-old pursuits of making funny footprints in the snow, hitting a tree to watch the clumps of snow fall from it, making a snowman and snow angels, and sliding down a hill covered with snow. He even packs a snowball into his coat pocket.

The story is minimalist, as are the collages which illustrate the text, but the overall effect is delicious. Peter is a nimble expression of childhood vitality and play, and the pictures combine fabric, rubber stamps, what looks to be wallpaper, paper cut-outs, and fiber to very great effect. It's short, it's sweet, and it's simple--just like the best snowy days.

Rating:
Summary: Very cute, and the illustrations are lovely
Review: I agree with other reviewers that the story in this book isn't heart-stopping exciting and it does drag on a bit toward the end, but frankly, I'm not sure that's a bad thing. The slow, languid pace of this story makes it a very calming and relaxing bed time read. The chunky, colorful illustrations are adorable, and the fact that the little boy is not very detailed makes him sort of a child's "Everyman." The story is really about a little boy whose imagination is maybe a little too big for the fact that he's only 4 and not able to do everything he'd like, but it's cute and engaging and well worth reading.

Rating:
Summary: Cultivation of imagination
Review: The Snowy Day by Ezra J. Keats is a peek into a young boy's day of playing in the snow. It is set in an urban area, and Peter's imagination is the main factor, which sets the fun in motion. As we watch Peter throughout the day, the reader is made aware of the endless possibilities that a day of play and imagination can provide. This book works through its simple text and its simple illustrations. Peter could be any boy or girl. It is only obvious that he is young. This allows for the ideas to really come front and center. It is also obvious that Peter's imagination is the catalyst for making the snowy day fun and worthwhile. The tracks his feet make in the snow, how a stick can make a snowstorm from a tree, and even how a pile of snow could be a great mountain amuse him. This is a story that could have happened this past winter or even in a winter 50 years ago. Keats' picture book provides images that are comforting and calming. The colors are vibrant and warm. The most dominant are shades of pinks, blues, and yellows. The illustrations are so simplified, like the text, that they guide the reader to really focus in on the activities of playing in the snow, that Peter engages in. The activities of walking in the snow, taking a snowball to bed, and finding a stick in his path, embed the ideas of trust, affection and responsiveness. These are concepts that are associated with play and the innocence of children that have not learned to doubt these inner instincts. I believe this is why Keats' books are so well received and have endured the test of time. Peter's trust is demonstrated by easy way in which he walks out into the street to find a place to play. He is at ease with his environment and comfortable in his surroundings. Peter is responsive the anomalies that are present in his "playground," such as the stick, which he sees as a wonderful toy. Childhood affection is also imbedded in this book, it is seen between Peter and his mother at the end of the day but is best illustrate and reinforced on the last page as Peter departs the next morning, holding the hand of his friend, as they go off together to begin yet another snowy day. The Snowy Day is a wonderful book of love, wonderment, disappointment and surprise. Keats has conquered the world of play, showing it for what it is, unconstrained by the rules of society or culture, left to the devices of a pre-school, pre-molded imagination.

Rating:
Summary: The Snowy Day
Review: This book is a very well written childerns book.It is about a little boy who goes outside and plays in the snow all day. He puts snow in his pocket before he goes inside and after his bath he checks for it and notices it gone. He is sad he dreams that the snow melts. When he wakes up the snow is all there and he goes and plays with his friend.

I thought this book was a very easy reader. childern of all ages 3 to 6 would enjoy this book. So the next tiome you read a story to help get your child to sleep remember about the,"Snowy Day." Written by Ezra Jack Keats.