Search Results for: blog the snowy day ezra jack keats

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day – Judith Viorst

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day is another one of those classic books that I think every child should read. We all have bad days. Children and adults will laugh and empathize with Alexander’s day. Poor Alexander is a little boy who wakes up with gum in his hair, he trips on his skateboard, and drops his sweater in the sink all on the first page. At breakfast his brothers find prizes in their cereal boxes. All he finds is breakfast cereal. He announces that he thinks he’ll move to Australia. Alexander’s day keeps being terrible. … Continue reading →

The Snowy Day – Ezra Jack Keats

I know other parts of the country are seeing signs of spring, but here in Colorado we can expect another couple months of snow. I want to share one of my favorite books about snow with you. The Snowy Day, by Ezra Jack Keats, received the Caldecott Award in 1963. I remember the book from my own childhood. The illustrations are unique. One of Keats techniques was to blend collage with gouache (an opaque watercolor mixed with art gum. His illustrations capture the magic of how snow can transform a neighborhood into beauty, softness, and mystery. Keats set new ground … Continue reading →

Snowy reads for snowy days

Snow today! It makes me want to break out the snow books: Snowflake Bentley, by Jacqueline Briggs Martin, and illustrated by Mary Azarian, is the story of Vermont native Wilson Bentley, who lived in the late 19th and early 20th century. Bentley developed a new technique for photographing snowflakes, and he spent an amazing amount of time doing it. He became passionately devoted to it, and produced a staggering collection of snowflake photographs. This picture book is suitable for young children, but my older girls and I love it, too. For more photographs, rather than illustrations, see Bentley’s Snowflakes in … Continue reading →

Surviving Snow Days

Who doesn’t love snow days? (Actually I do know some people, but they don’t live at my house!) We actually don’t get a lot of snow days here in Colorado. It’s not that we don’t get snow, but that people here have chains and snow tires and four-wheel drive. We don’t let the snow slow us down too much. I love when we do have a snow day, when I don’t have to drive, when we can stay all day in our sweats and pajamas. I like to sprinkle a tiny bit of powdered sugar over the kids’ waffles or … Continue reading →

Twaddle Free List of Kindergarten/First Grade Books

Kindergarteners and first graders are curious and creative. To keep their interest and to nurture their already innate sense of curiosity you need to keep your bookshelf stocked with twaddle free books. Allow your child the pleasure of introducing them to Curious George, Madeline or Amelia Bedelia. All three were noted as great childhood friends in my literary world. One book that always brings back the fondest of memories is Corduroy. Who can resist this precious bear who only wanted a home or his adventure with his lost button? What memories do you have from your childhood books? I remember … Continue reading →

Joseph Had a Little Overcoat – Simms Taback

Joseph Had a Little Overcoat is a Caldecott winner and a charming book for young children. Author and illustrator Simms Taback based the story on an old Yiddish folksong. The lyrics and music for the song are in the back of the book. The illustrations are vibrant, utilizing unique multimedia methods and die cut holes. The wording is simple. “Joseph had a little overcoat. It was old and worn.” One page shows Joseph with his worn and patched overcoat. The other has a jacket shaped hole in the page. When you turn the page the hole matches up with the … Continue reading →

Stone Soup – Marcia Brown

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Marcia Brown won a Caldecott Medal in 1947 for her version of an old French folktale, Stone Soup. This is a great story of ingenuity and cooperation. In the story, three soldiers are returning home from the wars. They are tired and haven’t had any food for two days. They come upon a village and ask for food. But the peasants have seen them coming and have hidden everything. The peasants try to look hungry and offer up good reasons for not having any food, sick fathers, poor harvests, and grain that must be kept for seed. The soldiers announce … Continue reading →

Week in Review – Media

What a week we had in Media Reviews! Keep reading for a great new interview series on Families.com bloggers, children’s picture books, podcasts, parenting advice, and lots of great fiction! Lauri shared a classic children’s story, The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats. Read about the unique illustrations in this fun story that won the Caldecott award in 1963. Tristi interviewed Camille Marchetta on Writing for Television. Read what she has to say on co-authoring and the differences in script writing and writing novels. In Read Books for Charity!, Tristi explains a new promotion from Harlequin books. If you love … Continue reading →

Winners of the Caldecott Medal: 1963-1967

Come read the books deemed worthy of the Caldecott Medal! I am giving a brief synopsis of each book along with a comment about the artwork here and there. I am also including lists of the Honor winners for each year. I hope you enjoy my series. Comments are welcomed!! 1963 “The Snowy Day” by Jack Ezra Keats This book is about a little boy named Peter and all of the adventures he has on a snowy winter day. At the end of the day he takes some snow and puts it in his pockets, but is later disappointed when … Continue reading →

Great Books for Preschoolers

Great Books for Preschoolers Here are some great books for reading to preschoolers. As you know, in my past blog articles, I have mentioned activities that are helpful to keep your preschoolers entertained while you teach older students. You will be amazed at how much your preschoolers will learn by observation. They may often surprise you and try to get in on the homeschool action as well. Don’t make the mistake of neglecting reading time with your preschoolers because you are heavily occupied with homeschooling, taking care of your home, cooking, cleaning, etc. Reading to your preschooler will help prepare … Continue reading →