🚙📦💨 Ezra Jack Keats The Snowy Day in English & Spanish

The Snowy Day is among Keats’s most notable books, a masterwork that has become a classic, enjoyed by generations of readers. It won the 1963 Caldecott Medal, the highest honor an illustrated children’s book can receive. In his Caldecott speech, Keats said, “I can honestly say that Peter came into being because we wanted him.” And Keats reminds us that Peter is timeless because he bestows “the wisdom of a pure heart.” This is why The Snowy Day has endured for half a century and remains relevant today. Keats’s intention in creating The Snowy Day was to break down barriers. He wanted a book that would “lead all children to genuine self-acceptance.” He was deliberate about making Peter Black, while at the same time, seeking to present a protagonist who could be seen as any child, not defined by his skin color. Keats once said, “I wanted to make sure I didn’t make Peter a white kid colored brown.”