The Snowy Day (book)

Open my cover and a quiet, magical world appears. Everything is soft and white, covered in a blanket of fresh snow. A little boy in a bright red snowsuit steps outside. His boots go crunch, crunch, crunch in the deep, deep snow. He is ready for an adventure, and I hold his story inside my pages. I am a book, and my name is The Snowy Day. I love sharing the story of the little boy, Peter, and his wonderful day.

A wonderful man with a big imagination made me. His name was Ezra Jack Keats. Long, long ago, he saw a picture of a little boy with a happy face. Ezra wanted to make a story where a boy just like him could be the hero of his own special day. So, on February 8th, 1962, he got to work. He took colorful paper, sticky glue, and bright paint to make my pictures. He cut and pasted and painted. He made the snow look fluffy and white. He made Peter’s snowsuit look warm and cozy and very, very red. He worked so hard to make my world feel just right.

When I was first shared with the world, I made so many children smile. For the very first time, lots of kids saw a hero in a book who looked just like them. His name was Peter, and he loved finding joy in the snow. I show children how to make snow angels with their arms and legs. I show them how to listen to the soft plop of snow falling from a tree. Today, I still love to share Peter's adventure. I remind everyone that a little bit of snow can hold a great big world of wonder, and that every child deserves to be the hero of a story.