Thursday, March 30, 2017

A Poem for Peter by Andrea Pinkney - ESSENTIAL

Pinkney, Andrea Davis  A Poem for Peter, Illustrated by Lou Fancher and Steve Johnson.  PICTURE BOOK. Viking (Imprint of Penguin Random House LLC), 2016. $18.99. Content: G.   

This is the story of Jacob (Jack) Ezra Keats.  His passion for art shaped the direction of his life, even amidst strong opposition from his father.  Growing up in Brooklyn, N.Y., he dreamed of creating his own book someday that would depict the children of his own neighborhood.  For 20 year, Keats had kept photographs of a young African American boy who became “Peter” to him and eventually the boy in the red snowsuit from the Caldecott Medal winning book, “A Snowy Day”. 

A beautiful book of poetic verse which portrays the life of Jack Ezra Keats and specifically the groundbreaking art from his most famous book “A Snowy Day”.  This book opened the doors for other children’s books in portraying people of color.  Wonderful illustrations that mimic Keat’s own style, using collage, fabric and paint combined together. Wonderful opportunities for lesson tie-ins for parents, teachers, and librarians. 

EL (K-3), EL, MS - ESSENTIAL.  Jen M.  Elementary Librarian

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