The wonder of a fresh snowfall, the delight of whistling for the first time, being inclusive in one’s friendships, and the awe in finding a special treasure. These pleasures all come to life in The Snowy Day and Other Stories by Ezra Jack Keats; stories and characters that ultimately became an inspiration for Sesame Street! Packed with humor and fun, this Caldecott Winner celebrates the joy in the small moments of a child’s world.

​

Central to the Snowy Day and all of Ezra Jack Keats work is black joy, specifically the unapologetic joy of black childhood and an urban black childhood. As a child that grew up in a city myself, I wanted the setting of the Snowy Day to feel un-apologetically urban. The grime of the city and the fear we instill in it as adults do not exist in the eyes of a child. I wanted to put the city through a child's lens while staying as true as possible to the colors and textural quality found in Ezra Jack Keats illustrations.