The Stories of Ezra Jack Keats

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The Green Room loves to explore the world of Ezra Jack Keats! We first meet Peter in The Snowy Day and as the stories progress we are introduced to other members of his family and the friends in his neighborhood. According to the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation, the author/illustrator “…changed children’s literature with the success of his groundbreaking book, The Snowy Day, in 1962. He believed all children should be able to see themselves in books they love.”

Little did we know that as we read through the stories, we would begin to discuss the topic of gender norms, as well as learn about street art and graffiti!

In Peter’s Chair, we join Peter as he adjusts to a new baby sister in his house. The blue baby furniture he has outgrown is now being painted pink for his sister. Although not the focus of the story, we wanted to know why the chair needed to be painted pink? Couldn’t his sister, Suzie, use a blue chair? Are certain colors only for boys or only for girls? Later in A Letter To Amy we watch as an older Peter wants to invite his friend, Amy to his birthday party, but has some trepidation because of what the other boys will think about having “a girl” at his party. When she does arrive at the party [spoiler alert!], someone comments, “A girl, ugh!” These are moments in reading in which we pause and reflect as a group. Why was Peter feeling this way? Does it matter if a friend is a boy or a girl? What can you do when you hear someone speaking that way towards a friend? The Green Room students are great problem solvers, and do not shy away from approaching these discussions with a clear heart.

In the background of many of the illustrations in these stories, there is graffiti on the buildings and walls. These cityscapes show the different kinds of art found in Peter’s neighborhood. We learned about graffiti and street art, and the children described any that they have seen around our own cities and towns. Linking the drawings which Ezra Jack Keats did as a child, we looked at other artists who also began drawing as children, including Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring. A common theme was discovered among the artists, who all felt support from a parent when they drew as a young child. Ezra Jack Keats even drew on his mother’s Shabbat tablecloth!

We loved using these books to explore the topic more:
Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat by Javaka Steptoe
Keith Haring: The Boy Who Just Kept Drawing by Kay Haring
A Poem for Peter: The Story of Ezra Jack Keats and the Creation of The Snowy Day by Andrea Davis Pinkney