The Snowy Day

About the Book

Peter wakes up to newly fallen snow and goes out by himself to take a walk. “Crunch, crunch, crunch, his feet sank into the snow.” He drags his feet and a stick to make lines. He hits some snow from a tree: plop! He makes snow angels, slides down a pile of snow, and goes home to a bath and bed. The next day he goes out again, this time with a friend.

Why this Book?

To me, this book is perfect. The collage illustrations are beautiful, especially the ones that spread across the wide pages of Peter in bed and in the bath. The writing is equally as brilliant, playing with sounds, focusing on what a young child cares about: snowballs, snow angels, sliding down a snow pile. There’s a kind mother in the background but this is a child’s world. No wonder this book, one of the first picture books to center on a Black character, won the Caldecott and had its illustrations issued as postage stamps. Absolutely not to be missed. Give this to everyone.