Sharing the life of a child

Ezra Jack Keats, who was born this day in 1916, crossed social boundaries as the first white American picture-book maker to give minority children a central place in children’s literature.

The characters in Keats’ books transcend ethnicity, illustrating family life, the simple pleasures, and sometimes complex problems, that every child encounters.  Keats drew upon his own childhood experiences, from having to flee from bullies to taking a ribbing from his pals for liking girls.  His books reflect the experiences of almost all children growing up in neighborhoods and communities in many parts of the world, a commonality that all can understand and enjoy.

His first attempt in 1960 at writing and drawing a children’s book was My Dog Is Lost, the story of a Puerto Rican immigrant boy searching for his dog in New York City.  Keats incorporated Spanish words into the story and featured children from Chinatown, Little Italy, Park Avenue and Harlem as central characters – because, “A child is just a child, no matter what his heritage might be.”

And then he wrote and illustrated a book featuring a black child called The Snowy Day.  “None of the manuscripts I'd been illustrating featured any black kids — except for token blacks in the background,” he said.   “My book would have him there simply because he should have been there all along." The Snowy Day has never been out of print since and is considered one of the most important American books of the 20^th Century.  It won the 1963 Caldecott Medal for illustration.

Ezra Jack Keats

"I wanted The Snowy Day to be a chunk of life, the sensory experience in word and picture of what it feels like to hear your own body making sounds in the snow. Crunch...crunch...And the joy of being alive,"  Keats said.  He died of a heart attack in 1983 having illustrated nearly 100 books – 70 by other writers – and winning numerous awards and honors.  His work has been translated into 20 languages.

Born into poverty and self-taught as an artist, he honed his craft as a mural painter for the WPA and then by doing publicity pieces for the Army in World War II.  “I never expected to be a children’s author,” he said.  The world will always be glad that he was.

Share A Writer’s Moment with a friend by clicking the g+1 button below