Books
In the more than twenty children's books he's written and illustrated, Ezra Jack Keats created a world that has enchanted generations of children and adults. Known for his engaging plots, Keats wove members of his eclectic cast of characters into a large selection of his books. His works have been translated into 19 languages, including Japanese, French, Danish, Norwegian, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Turkish, German, Italian, Swedish, Thai, Chinese and Korean. In addition, authors of books and film have created new stories, featuring Ezra's most beloved characters.
| Written and Illustrated by Ezra Jack Keats | ||
|---|---|---|
 My Dog is Lost!(also known as Me Perro se ha Perdido, with Pat Cherr, 1960) Juanito has just come from Puerto Rico. He is eight years old, and is sad because he has no friends. He speaks only Spanish. And his dog is lost. How will he find his dog in the strange city? Buy Online  The Snowy Day(1962) In this Caldecott Award book sparkling with atmosphere, a small boy named Peter experiences the joy of a snowy day. This classic broke the color barrier in mainstream children's literature. The adventures of Peter and his friends in his urban environment are presented in many of Keats' later books. Buy Online  Whistle for Willie(1964) The New York Times wrote Mr. Keats' illustrations boldly, colorfully capture the child, his city world, and the shimmering heat of a summer's day. Now the story of Peter, who longs to whistle for his dog, is accessible to even the youngest child. This is a charming and delightful sequel to The Snowy Day. Buy Online  John Henry, An American Legend(1965) That steel-driving man who was born and died with a hammer in his hand comes to life in this colorful presentation. Each page radiates the vital force that led John Henry to challenge technology -- and win. Buy Online  Jennie's Hat(1966) Jennie can hardly wait for the new hat her aunt promised her. "It will be big and beautiful and flowery", she tells herself happily. But when the box comes, there is only a plain hat inside. Jennie s initial disappointment is changed into a wondrous surprise by accommodating birds. Buy Online  God is in the Mountain(1966) Keats explores the universality of spiritual thought in this distinguished picture book. Quoting simple phrases from different religious traditions, Keats threads together ancient and modern ideas of spirituality, celebrating both their diversity and their commonality. This quiet book allows the ideas of world religions to stand side by side. Buy Online  Peter's Chair(1967) Peter has a new baby sister. First Peter s father paints Peter s old cradle pink, then his crib. Then they want to paint Peter's chair! "Let's run away, Willie," Peter says to his dog. And they do. A gentle and reassuring story about sibling rivalry. Buy Online  A Letter to Amy(1968) Peter is having a birthday party, and he's asked all of his friends to come. But Amy is a special friend because she is a girl. So Peter decides to write her a special invitation. When he rushes out in a thunderstorm to mail it, though, he bumps smack into Amy herself and knocks her to the ground. Will she ever come to his party now? And how will the boys greet a girl? Buy Online  One Red Sun(1968) Preschoolers will delight in counting the bold, colorful objects in Keats' appealing collages. From one red sun to ten playful pooches, this durable board book with its safe rounded edges is a perfect introduction to counting. Buy Online  Goggles!(1969) Peter has found a pair of lensless motorcycle goggles. He and Archie are on their way to sit on Archie's steps and enjoy their treasure. But the big boys have other plans for the goggles. However, they have not reckoned with Willlie! Buy Online  Hi Cat!(1970) Archie was on his way to meet Peter when he saw someone new on the block. "Hi, cat!" he said. And so it began -- because with a cat like that, everything could happen! Ezra Jack Keats' vibrant palette brings this humorous, fast-paced story to vivid life. Buy Online  Apt. 3(1971) Sam and his little brother Ben hear mysterious music in their apartment building, but they're not sure where it's coming from. They search every floor, but all they find are a lot of noisy people. But the blind man in apt. 3 is different; he's something special, and his music is something Sam and Ben won't soon forget. Buy Online  Pet Show!(1972) Archie wants to enter his cat in the neighborhood pet show--but the cat has vanished! Though all the kids search for him, he's nowhere to be found. But Archie keeps looking. And the pet he finally brings isn't the cat, but one of the most surprising ever! Buy Online  Pssst! Doggie(1973) This is the debut of two new characters created by Keats. The newcomers don't talk very much, but things happen when they get together. A cat asks a dog to dance. They take us on a flight of imagination across many contries and ages. The musical motion of the changing scenery and costumes, and the antics of the unusual pair on the dance floor, offer much to look at. And yet, there's plenty of room for the reader's imagination to wander.  Skates!(1973) This is Keats' second wordless picture book featuring animals rather than people as characters. The first one was Pssst! Doggie. In both books, the reader is encouraged to participate in the action of the "story" in his own way. Buy Online  Dreams(1974) Everyone is asleep and dreaming, except for Roberto. Looking out of his window, he sees that Archie's cat is trapped by a big dog! Roberto doesn't know what to do! But then something incredible happens. Archie's cat is saved by the most surprising hero ever! And the color is dreamlike in its swirling beauty! Buy Online  Kitten for a Day(1974) When is a puppy not a puppy? When he's a kitten for a day! Four carefree kittens spend the day with one confused puppy. Nothing could spoil their fun -- not even a little spilled milk or a bump on the head. When Mommy comes along, the new friends promise to be puppies one day soon. Buy Online  Louie(1978) Sometimes, without warning, one can find someone (or something) to love with all of one's heart. That's what happened to Louie at the neighborhood puppet show. The mouse puppet introduced Gussie. And that was when the usually silent Louie opened his heart to Gussie with the big eyes and the wistful smile. Buy Online  The Trip(1978) When his family moves to a new neighborhood, Louie has to leave his friends behind. Playing alone, he creates a scene out of a shoe box. It has a magical effect, calling his imagination back to old friends, old times. Then the spell ends, and a satisfyingly real-life adventure begins as Louie joins some new friends for Halloween night. Buy Online  Maggie and the Pirate(1979) One day Maggie's pet cricket, Niki, is stolen, cage and all! The only clue is a note: THE PIRATE WAS HERE. But Maggie and her friends are not afraid of pirates. So they set out to find Niki in their tropical wonderland. Buy Online  Louie's Search(1980) Louie has always wanted a father. He decides to set off in search of one--but instead he comes across a music box that has fallen off a junk truck. When he tries to return the box, the truck's angry driver at first accuses him of being a crook. But when the driver learns that the music box plays more beautifully for Louie than it ever had for him, he gives it to Louie as a gift. And that is the beginning of the end of Louie's search. Buy Online  Regards to the Man on the Moon(1981) Louis is unhappy because the other kids call his father "the junk man." But his father knows it's not just junk. "All a person needs is some imagination! And a little of that stuff can take you right out of this world!" So Louis builds the Imagination 1, a spaceship fueled entirely by imagination -- and blasts off into an adventure that will dazzle children and adults alike. Buy Online  Clementina's Cactus(1982) While walking through the desert, tiny Clementina and her father encounter a lone cactus, all dry, shriveled, and prickly. Clementina is curious about the little plant, but a thunderstorm forces her to leave her cactus behind. When the sun returns the following day, Clementina discovers a beautiful surprise waiting - something spectacular to her young eyes. This wordless book is wide open for imaginative reading. Buy Online |
||
| Illustrated by Ezra Jack Keats | ||
|---|---|---|
 Indian Two Feet and His Horse(Margaret Friskey, Scholastic, 1964) Little Indian Two Feet is too young to have a horse. He would have to catch a wild horse and tame him. The sad boy wanders in the forest and comes upon a wild horse with an injured foot. He bandages the injured foot and the grateful horse becomes his friend and personal horse. Buy Online  The Naughty Boy: A Poem(John Keats, Viking, 1965) This first appeared in a letter that John Keats, at a young age, called it "a song about myself", and children have loved it ever since. Now Ezra Jack Keats has caught the whimsical spirit of the poem. He has kept his drawings simple, so as not to intrude on the imagery, and has made it possible for us to see, as well as sense, the melodious but melancholy wanderings of the naughty boy who "could not quiet be."  In a Spring Garden(Richard Lewis, editor, Dial, 1965) The haiku poetry in this beautiful book makes a perfect background for the magical illustrations by Keats. Buy Online  The Little Drummer Boy(Katherine Davis, Henry Ohorati and Harry Simeone, Macmillan, 1968) The Little Drummer Boy sings about the visit of the Three Kings to Bethlehem. Buy Online  Over in the Meadow(Olive A. Wadsworth, Four Winds Press, 1971) Welcome to a lush meadow bustling with activity, where one turtle digs, two fish swim, three bluebirds sing, and so on to ten little firefliles that shine in the night. Ezra's illustrations perfectly complement this classic Appalachian counting rhyme, sure to delight the youngest reader. Buy Online  The King's Fountain(Lloyd Alexander, Dutton, 1971) A poor, humble man is chosen to change the king's mind when he plans to build a fountain that would deprive the city of water. A thoughtful king and a courageous citizen come to terms in this brilliantly illustrated book. Buy Online  Tia Maria's Garden(Ann Nolan Clark, Viking, 1963) A boy goes for a walk in his aunt Tia Maria's garden, the desert, and observes keenly what he sees there. The Chinese Knew(T.S. Pine and J. Levine, McGraw, 1958) An introduction to many useful items or processes invented by the Chinese thousands of years ago, telling how we apply similar concepts to new ideas today and suggesting ways to simply duplicate or enjoy the ancient Chinese discoveries. The Eskimos Knew(T. S. Pine and J. Levine, Whittlesey house, 1962) Colorful large format book showing the traditional skills of the Eskimos, contrasting it with our modern life, and suggesting activites for children. The Flying Cow(Ruth P. Collins, Walck, 1963) Content TBD Our Rice Village in CambodiaR. Tooze, Viking, 1963) Content TBD  Jim Can Swim(Helen D. Olds, Knopf, 1963) Written with understanding about a problem which faces many children. Jim really wanted to learn to swim, but he was afraid the others would laugh at him when he made mistakes. The Egyptians Knew(T.S. Pine and J. Levine, McGraw Hill, 1964) Presents many things which the ancient Egyptians knew and did, from making bricks or irrigating crops to making paper or using ramps, tells how we do these things today, and suggests activities relating to these discoveries. Speedy Digs Downside Up(Maxine W. Kumin, Putnam, 1964) Content TBD  Zoo, Where Are You?(Ann McGovern, Harper, 1964) Content TBD How to be a Nature Detective(Millicent E. Selsam, revised edition, Harper, 1966) Content TBD In the Park: An Excursion in Four Languages(Esther R. Hautzig, Macmillan, 1968) Content TBD Two Tickets to Freedom: The True Story of Ellen and William Craft, Fugitive Slaves(Florence B. Freedman, Simon and Schuster, 1971) Content TBD Penny Tunes and Princesses(Myron Levoy, Harper, 1972) Content TBD The Indians Knew(T.S. Pine, Scholastic New York, 1973) Content TBD |
||
| Books Inspired by Ezra Jack Keats | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
||
| Films Inspired by Ezra Jack Keats | ||
|---|---|---|
|
||