Board Book Review: The Snowy Day

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats.
Viking, the Penguin group, board book edition 1996.
Picture book realistic fiction adapted to board book format, 30 pages.

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats, Board Book Edition

When we found out about Baby, of course there was a lot to do to get ready.  But one thing stuck in my head, bibliophile that I am – we didn’t have any board books!  Well, a few that the younger ones use for church, but not much for regular reading.  I didn’t quite get it together enough to have books ready before he arrived (practicalities came first), but the first week of the new year, I got busy!

Since we had very few board books, this is a collection I’ll be building from the ground up.  I’m sure people will give us some, but mostly it will be our choices, so this is my first chance to fully build a diverse area of our family collection.

It’s no secret that I love this book, so it should come as no surprise that this was the very first board book I purchased.  I picked it up at Target since I knew they had copies of this in the winter, and was so pleased to see that there were several other board books with African American characters.  I definitely will be watching this area at my local store in addition to shopping online and in bookstores, and hope to see other seasonal diverse board books.

This board book is a standard size, and very sturdy.  It is perhaps a bit long for a board book but comparable to many other classics that have been adapted to the format, such as The Very Hungry Caterpillar.  The title is nicely displayed on the spine and there is an interior title page.  For a board book it is a bit wordy (the original text appears to be intact), but there are no more than three sentences per page, and often less.

This is a great choice for a board book adaption because the pictures as well as the words tell a complete story, and little ones who are able to turn the pages will be engrossed in watching Peter move through the snowy world even if they don’t know the story yet.

The illustrations are cut off or appear to be adapted in several cases, but efforts were made to preserve as much of the original book as possible, and it still has the gorgeous snowflakes at the end and the pages with the tracks and the stick.

Overall, this is a lovely tiny version of a classic picture book.  Highly recommended for all children.