Happy birthday, Ezra Jack Keats!

If you can believe it, his very first book was the exquisite The Snowy Day

I love the sense of quiet alertness conveyed with those blocks of color,

thCAYJPW28

love that giant Mama,

Peter-Mom-socks

love the simple portraits of the little sorrows and the great joys of childhood.

ezra-keats-peter-waking-up-from-the-snowy-day

This was one of the first children’s books about a black kid.

More seasonable, another of my favorites illustrated by Ezra Jack Keats is Over in the Meadow:

512RKZVKR8L._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_

My favorite counting song, so cozy and satisfying, and the pictures are intense and unforgettable.

overinmeadow3

b_IMG_8633

overinmeadow6

Happy birthday, Ezra Jack Keats!   Thanks for all the colors.

Liked it? Take a second to support simchajfisher on Patreon!