A Poem for Peter
  • Published: 15 January 2017
  • ISBN: 9780425287682
  • Imprint: Viking
  • Format: Hardback
  • Pages: 60
  • RRP: $39.99

A Poem for Peter

The Story of Ezra Jack Keats and the Creation of The Snowy Day

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On the 100th anniversary of his birth, a celebration of the extraordinary life of Ezra Jack Keats, creator of The Snowy Day.

A celebration of the extraordinary life of Ezra Jack Keats, creator of The Snowy Day.

The story of The Snowy Day begins more than one hundred years ago, when Ezra Jack Keats was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. The family were struggling Polish immigrants, and despite Keats’s obvious talent, his father worried that Ezra’s dream of being an artist was an unrealistic one. But Ezra was determined. By high school he was winning prizes and scholarships. Later, jobs followed with the WPA and Marvel comics. But it was many years before Keats’s greatest dream was realized and he had the opportunity to write and illustrate his own book.
 
For more than two decades, Ezra had kept pinned to his wall a series of photographs of an adorable African American child. In Keats’s hands, the boy morphed into Peter, a boy in a red snowsuit, out enjoying the pristine snow; the book became The Snowy Day, winner of the Caldecott Medal, the first mainstream book to feature an African American child. It was also the first of many books featuring Peter and the children of his — and Keats’s — neighborhood.
 
Andrea Davis Pinkney’s lyrical narrative tells the inspiring story of a boy who pursued a dream, and who, in turn, inspired generations of other dreamers.
  • Published: 15 January 2017
  • ISBN: 9780425287682
  • Imprint: Viking
  • Format: Hardback
  • Pages: 60
  • RRP: $39.99
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About the author

Rosemary Wells

Rosemary Wells is a classic children's writer and illustrator with a worldwide reputation for her very acute observations of children. Born in New York City she attended the Museum School in Boston and then worked as a book designer. Her first book was published in 1972, since when she has published over 30 children's picture books and board books. She recently collaborated with Iona Opie on MY VERY FIRST MOTHER GOOSE which has received huge media attention and been critically acclaimed as a classic.
AUTHOE LIVES: New York, USA

PRAISE FOR NOISY NORA:
'CAN STAND LIMITLESS REREADINGS. A WONDERFULLY CONCISE RHYTHMIC TEXT, WITH FULL STORY IN THE PICTURES.' Sunday Telegraph
'A WONDERFULLY FUNNY STORY' The Mail on Sunday
'THE ILLUSTRATIONS ARE, UNSURPRISINGLY, OF HIGH QUALITY; THE STORYLINE GENTLY AMUSES, THOSE FAMILIAR WITH ROSEMARY WELLS' WORK OVER THE LAST TWENTY FIVE YEARS ARE NOT LIKELY TO BE DISAPPOINTED. SHE IS LIKELY TO ALSO WIN SOME NEW EARLY YEARS ADMIRERES' School Librarian Magazine

Also by Rosemary Wells

You Can Do It, Noisy Nora!
Max's Half Birthday
Max at School
Max's Bug
Max's Lunch
Caveboy Dave: More Scrawny Than Brawny
Llama Llama Gram and Grandpa
See all

Praise for A Poem for Peter

Praise for A Poem for Peter: A Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2016 A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year 2016 ? "Those who love Peter (and who does not?) will relish the illustrations, particularly that of Keats holding hands with Peter under a snow-dappled tree. More to the point, Pinkney lets readers know what Peter meant and still means as a milestone in inclusive children's literature. "He brought a world of white / suddenly alive with color." A loving and forceful reminder that Keats' Peter is our Peter—always." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review ? "Fancher and Steve Johnson’s acrylic, collage, and pencil illustrations seamlessly integrate images from Keats’ books into their own art, which employs a style complementary to the originals. Equally important they skillfully represent Pinkney’s lyrical text, which sometimes requires historical accuracy, magic realism, and nods to future possibilities, all within one spread . . . This is an important book." —Booklist, starred review ? "Pinkney’s poem sheds fascinating light on Keats’s long-lived achievement." —Publishers Weekly, starred review "Pinkney’s verse seamlessly weaves together story and fact to craft an intimate conversation about the artist’s history and impact . . . Lovely." —School Library Journal