The Snowy Day

Title: The Snowy Day
ISBN: 0140501827
Author: Ezra Jack Keats
Award Won: The Caledecott Medal
Age Group:Ages 2 and up
Group represented: an african american family and other children in the neighorhood



Summary:

This story is about a young boy named Peter. He wakes up one day to a snow filled world that he sees from his bedroom window. A lot of snow had fallen while he was sleeping during the night. Peter is so excited that after his breakfast he gets dressed in his snowsuit and goes outside to explore. He has a good time making patterns in the snow with his foot prints and a stick. He comes across other children having a snowball fight, but knows he is too young to join. He climbs up big piles of snow and slids down them and he even makes a giant snowball that he thinks he can keep for later. He brings the snowball inside with him, only to realize that the snowball has melted away. After a night of dreams filled with warm sunshine he calls to his friend to go out and play once again in the snow. New snow had fallen again while is was fast a sleep.



An obvious use of this book could be to use it during a weather unit and talk about all the things that happen outside when snow begins to fall. Teachers could also use this book to talk about different types of families because it appears that Peter lives in an apartment building with just his mother and has no siblings that are talked about in the book.
The book could also be used during a health unit to talk about different types of outdoor activites that can be done during all seasons to keep people active and healthy.