The Snowy Day

Ezra Jack Keats
Puffin
Age 3-5

The Snowy Day is an award winning picturebook classic written over 60 years ago. It tells the story of a little boy named Peter who wakes one winter morning to find snow had fallen during the night. We follow Peter as he explores the magic of snow, the sound it makes when you tread on it, the marks you can make with your feet or a stick. He slides down slopes, makes snow angels and snowmen. But why does the snowball he places in his pocket disappear when he takes it indoors?!

This book is a celebration of the magic of snow, seen through the eyes of a young child. It is groundbreaking in terms publishing history as the first book featuring an African American protagonist to achieve widespread national and international recognition.

Watch an animated read aloud of the story from the Ezra Keats Foundation

Share the story

Read aloud
Read the story aloud to your child pausing to talk about what is happening in the story or pictures if your child wants to.

Tell the story
Encourage your child to tell the story to you in their own words using the illustrations as a guide.Join in
You could encourage two- and three-year-olds to join in as you read, shouting ‘banana’ and saying ‘please.’

Talk about the story
Talk about your child’s own experiences of snowy days.
How might Peter feel when he wakes to see snow outside his window?
Which of the things Peter does has your child done? Which would they like to do?
Why does the snowball disappear?

Things to make and do*

Play in the snow
This is a perfect book to share on a snowy day. You and your child could do some of the things Peter does, depending on how much snow has fallen! If you have no snow at all then you could use your imagination and pretend.

Try walking in the snow like Peter – toes pointed in and toes pointed out
Drag your feet slowly
Make marks with a stick
Try to gently knock snow off a branch
Try sliding down a slope
Make a snowman
Make a snow angel

Try some snow experiments
Fill a tray with snow and bring it into the house. Collect some plastic toys and try making footprints with them – toy animals and dinosaurs would be ideal for this.

Watch to see what happens to the snow when it is in the house. If you fill more than one container you could place them in different places in the house and see which lasts the longest.

Make a snowflake picture
Look at the book end papers with snowflake images. Make some snowflakes of your own. Here are some links with instructions  https://bit.ly/45M3SfC https://bit.ly/4btsLjY  https://bit.ly/49FR9wu

This would look lovely if you are able to use coloured paper. Use pastels or crayons to colour a background and arrange your snowflakes on it.

Make a new scene for the story
Imagine that the next day Peter plays in the snow with a friend, neighbour or cousin. Draw a picture of what they do together and write about it.

Play an interactive game
Play an interactive game based on The Snowy Day https://www.ejkf.org/the-snowy-day-game/

Find out more

Find out more about Ezra Keats
Read more books by Ezra Keats https://www.ejkf.org/all-ezras-books/ titles include Whistle for Willie and Peter’s Chair which feature the same main character.

*With thanks to our friend and supporter Joan Thurgar for her contributions to these activity ideas