 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
The Snowy Day
- By Ezra Jack Keats
- Genre: Picture Book
Common Sense Media says
Classic captures a kid's delight in freshly fallen snow.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that bright color cut-outs and lively language complement each other to create a story that is both soothing and exciting.
What's the story?
A young boy wakes to a world of freshly fallen snow and goes exploring throughout the cityscape in this gentle, glistening classic. With bold text and whimsical collages, Ezra Jack Keats captures the delight kids feel in the simplest pleasures.
Is it any good?
THE SNOWY DAY, first published in 1962 and winner of the Caldecott Medal, challenges the assumption that more is better, inviting you and your kids into a world of slow, easy pleasures. Ezra Keats is remarkable in his ability to create a calming yet vibrant story, striking this balance gracefully in pictures and in text. His artwork is spare yet the pictures burst with brilliant color and expression. In many of the pictures, Peter lacks facial features except his eyes, but Keats manages, with the angle of his head and the composition, to convey feeling.
The text, similarly economical, is made up of just enough words to tell the story -- none of them too hard for a young reader to sound out or for a young listener to understand -- and they are vivid words used powerfully, often rhyming or repeating. The result is that kids (and parents too!) can settle into Peter's snowy world. A bonus in this sparkling story is the African-American main character -- an all-too-rare occurrence, still, in children's literature.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about the pleasures of different types of weather: snowy days, rainy days, windy days, and more. Which is your favorite type of weather? Why?
How easy is it to create fun by yourself? Is it sometimes as much or more fun than playing with others?
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AGE
"The Snowy Day" is great for all children
"The Snowy Day" is a lovely story. One of the most wonderful features in this book is that it features a young African American boy but never mentions his race. I feel that it is important for kids across all cultures to see positive images of children of different races. This story is sweet and kind. I think that children from all backgrounds will enjoy this story.
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AGE
Wonderful classic that I remember from my childhood.
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AGE
Classic at any age
Great read-aloud at any age. Older children in grade school still request this story. Cant go wrong.
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| Author: | Ezra Jack Keats |
| Illustrator: | Ezra Jack Keats |
| Book type: | Fiction |
| Genre: | Picture Book |
| Publisher: | Penguin Group |
| Publication date: | November 1, 1962 |
| Number of pages: | 38 |
| Hardcover price: | $6.99 |
| Paperback price: | $0.00 |
| Publisher's recommended age(s): | 2 - 4 |
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