The Snowy Day Forever Stamp 2017
The Emergence of Ezra Keats
Ezra Jack Keats, a prolific writer and illustrator, was born on March 11, 1916, in Brooklyn, New York. Raised in humble circumstances by Polish-Jewish immigrants, Keats displayed a deep passion for art from an early age. Despite his father??s concerns about the difficulties of an artist??s life, Keats persisted, creating artworks from scraps of wood, cloth, and paper. Though his father occasionally provided him with tubes of paint, Keats found inspiration and solace in the local library and his school??s art classes, earning recognition for his talent.
After the death of his father, Keats worked various jobs to support himself, sometimes attending art classes. Drafted into the Army during World War II, he used his artistic skills to design camouflage patterns for the US Army Air Force. Following the war, Keats traveled to Paris before returning to New York to pursue a career as a commercial artist, contributing his work to respected publications and galleries.
Keats??s entry into children's literature began in 1954 when he was commissioned to illustrate Elisabeth Hubbard Lansing's Jubilant for Sure. He went on to illustrate nearly 70 books for other authors before beginning to write his own. In 1960, he wrote his first solo children??s book, My Dog Is Lost, followed by his masterpiece, The Snowy Day, in 1962. Notably, The Snowy Day made history by featuring an African American protagonist, earning Keats the prestigious Caldecott Medal in 1963.
Throughout his remarkable career, Keats authored and illustrated 22 books, often featuring children from diverse backgrounds and urban settings, tackling real-life challenges like sibling rivalry, friendship, and bullying.
Keats??s legacy continues through the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation, which supports children??s literacy, fosters creativity, and promotes equality and diversity in children??s literature.
