![]() ![]() It was the first book Keats both wrote and illustrated, and the first (of many, including Whistle for Willie, Peter’s Chair, and Goggles) to introduce the character Peter and his New York City neighborhood. ![]() The model and inspiration he referenced was for Peter, the protagonist of The Snowy Day, a book that was at first celebrated for its bold depiction of an African American boy, then widely criticized for not being culturally specific, and finally regarded as a classic. Up he went again - this time above my drawing table. In more recent years, while illustrating children’s books, the desire to do my own story about this little boy began to germinate. He pinned the photos to the wall above his desk.Īs the years went by, these pictures would find their way back to my walls, offering me fresh pleasure at each encounter. “His expressive face, his body attitudes, the very way he wore his clothes, totally captivated me,” Keats recalled years later. Afterwards, he looked hurt and mistrustful. ![]() Prior to the test, he looked happy and trusting. The four photos showed a small African American boy in Liberty County, Georgia, reacting to a blood test being administered by a public health nurse. ![]() In the spring of 1940, twenty-four-year-old Ezra Jack Keats cut a series of black-and-white photographs out of Life magazine. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |