Ezra Jack Keats understood what it was like to be excluded.
He grew up a child of Polish immigrants in New York City, surrounded by poverty and anti-Semitism.
Ezra Jack Keats noticed children of varied ethnic backgrounds were missing from children’s picture books in the 1960s. He recognized the lives of children growing up in urban settings, amongst apartment buildings and concrete, was also not reflected in children’s literature. This inspired him to write and illustrate “A Snowy Day”, the first children’s book featuring a person of color.
“Ezra Jack Keats gave us eyes to see.
Let us celebrate the making
Of what it means to be.
He dared to open a door.
He awakened a wonderland.
He brought a world of white
Suddenly alive with color.”
A Poem for Peter is a biographical picture book, written by Andrea Davis Pinkney in a long poem format. This book is a perfect companion to the book “A Snowy Day” as we learn about Ezra’s life and what brought his famous book, and character Peter, to life.
Beautifully illustrated and told through lyrical texts, this book is suitable for children ages 6-12 years and will be of interest to all those who’ve loved Ezra Jack Keats books. It’s powerful to learn about the creation of the character Peter and just how ground breaking Ezra Jack Keats book was at the time.
It’s inspiring to learn how Keats overcame obstacles to follow his dream of becoming an artist including facing his own discrimination.
This book celebrates diversity and how social justice can bring about beautiful changes.
Helps with: creativity, following your dreams, understanding the power of art, celebrating diversity, understanding racism, discrimination, and anti-Semitism, social justice, learning about types of poetry, overcoming adversity, and Black History Month.
Author: Andrea Davis Pinkney
Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers, 2016