The Snowy Day cover and inside illsutration, by Ezra Jack Keats
Multimedia collage, 1962
Ezra Jack Keats was an innovator. He was one of the first authors to unveil multicultural storylines in children's books, and he developed collage as a viable form of illustration. (Eric Carle wouldn't exist were it not first for Keats.) The Snowy Day is one of the most beloved children's books of all time, right up there with Winnie the Pooh and The Polar Express, for its charm and beauty and the delight it always gives its readers, young and old and everywhere in between. Peter's joy at encountering his first snowfall is something we've all felt (unless you've never encountered snow, in which case, I'm sorry), and Keats captures that thrill with such simple beauty. The Snowy Day and all of Ezra Jack Keats's books are ones that I grew up reading and rereading, and I'm so thrilled that Jen chose this artwork for this week's Style Imitating Art. Email her your inspiration by Monday, December 30th (oh my word). Enjoy, and if you haven't read this book, do yourself a favour and check it out from your local library. I guarantee they'll have it.
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