Ezra Jack Keats | Author

About the Author

Ezra Jack Keats was born Jacob Ezra Katz in Brooklyn, New York on March 11, 1916. He was a mural painter for the Works Progress Administration (WPA) for three years before taking a job as a comic book illustrator. During World War II, he joined the United States Air Corp and was a camouflage show more pattern designer. After the war, he changed his name to make his Jewish heritage less noticeable. He wrote and/or illustrated more than 85 children's books. The first book he illustrated was Jubilant for Sure by Elizabeth Hubbard Lansing, which was published in 1954. The first book he wrote was My Dog is Lost, which was published in 1960. His other works include Pet Show and The Snowy Day, which won a Caldecott Medal in 1963. He was also awarded the University of Southern Mississippi Medallion for outstanding contributions in the field of children's literature in 1980. He died of a heart attack on May 6, 1983. (Bowker Author Biography) show less

Includes the names: Jack Keats, Ezra Jack., Ezra Keats, Ezra J Keats, Ezra Jack Keat, Ezra Jack Keats, Ezra Kats Keats, Keats Jack Ezra, Ezra Jack Keats, Exra Jack Keats, Erza Jack Keats, Keats Ezra Jack, Keats Jack Ezra, ezra jacks keats, by Ezra Jack Keats, Ills Ezra Jack Keats, Ezra Jack illus. Keats, Ezra Jack Keats Illustrator, Ezra Jack,illustrated by Keats, Ezra Jack Keats based on the original version by Olive A. Wadsworth

Image credit: Unattributed photo at De Grummond Children's Literature Collection, University of Southern Mississippi

Series

Peter

Works by Ezra Jack Keats

Popular Recent

The Snowy Day (1962) 14,916 copies

Whistle for Willie (1964) 4,284 copies

Peter's Chair (1967) 3,872 copies

Goggles! (1969) 1,784 copies

A Letter to Amy (1968) 1,695 copies

Pet Show! (1972) 1,679 copies

John Henry: An American Legend (1965) 978 copies

Over in the Meadow (1971) 947 copies

Hi, Cat! (1970) 765 copies

Apt. 3 (1972) 641 copies

Jennie's Hat (1966) 619 copies

Louie (1975) 563 copies

The Trip (1744) 498 copies

Dreams (1974) 492 copies

Regards to the Man in the Moon (1981) 456 copies

Maggie and the Pirate (1979) 446 copies

Keats's Neighborhood (2002) 256 copies

Louie's Search (1980) 248 copies

Kitten for a Day (1974) 185 copies

Clementina's Cactus (1982) 129 copies

My Dog Is Lost! (1632) 125 copies

One Red Sun : A Counting Book (1999) 68 copies

God Is in the Mountain (1874) 54 copies

Skates! (1750) 47 copies

Bathtub Voyages: Tales of Adventure (Celebrate Reading!) (1993) 41 copies

Roberto Walks Home (2008) 38 copies

Pssst! Doggie--. (1973) 21 copies

Zoo, where are you? (1964) — Illustrator — 19 copies

The Snowy Day/Whistle for Willie DVD & Book Gift Set (2007) 16 copies

The Snowy Day and other Stories by Ezra Jack Keats (2008) 11 copies

The Snowy Day...and More Ezra Jack Keats Stories [1965 film] (2003) 8 copies

Snowy Day Doll (2008) 6 copies

The Ezra Jack Keats Collection (2009) 6 copies

Myself 5 copies

Ezra Jack Keats' The Little Drummer Boy... and 4 More Holiday Stories (Scholastic Video Collection) (2006) 4 copies

Night, (1969) 4 copies

The Little Drummer Boy by Ezra Jack Keats (2000-10-02) 2 copies

Snowy Day, the 2 copies

The Snowy Day & More Ezra Jack Keats Stories (Scholastic Video Collection) 2 copies

Tierschau 2 copies

Pssst! Doggie- 1 copy

Round Trip (Hardcover) (Chinese Edition) (2017) 1 copy

Ezra Jack Keats Collection 1 copy

Kitten for a Day Can a puppy be a kitten? 1 copy

Clubhouse (2013) 1 copy

The Wright Brothers 1 copy

Twelve Day of Christmas 1 copy

Work Explorer

Associated Works

The 20th-Century Children's Book Treasury: Picture Books and Stories to Read Aloud (1998) — Author — 1,585 copies

The Little Drummer Boy [Keats] (1968) — Illustrator, some editions — 1,104 copies

Big Tracks, Little Tracks: Following Animal Prints (1958) — Illustrator, some editions — 885 copies

The Peterkin Papers (1880) — Illustrator, some editions — 710 copies

Danny Dunn and the Homework Machine (1958) — Illustrator — 445 copies

two tickets to freedom: the true story of ellen and william craft, fugitive slaves (1971) — Illustrator — 385 copies

Danny Dunn and the Anti-Gravity Paint (1956) — Illustrator, some editions — 314 copies

Indian Two Feet and His Horse (1959) — Illustrator, some editions — 240 copies

Too Many Ghosts (1959) — Illustrator, some editions; frontpiece, some editions — 205 copies

The Indians Knew (1957) — Illustrator, some editions — 199 copies

Best in Children's Books 01 (1957) — Illustrator — 156 copies

Best in Children's Books 10 (1958) — Illustrator — 154 copies

A Time for Sleep (1953) — Illustrator — 112 copies

Danny Dunn and The Weather Machine (1959) — Illustrator — 88 copies

Animal Stories: Tales of the Old Plantation (1954) — Illustrator — 86 copies

Danny Dunn on a Desert Island (1957) — Illustrator — 79 copies

Best in Children's Books 04 (1957) — Illustrator — 65 copies

Loose Tooth (2002) 63 copies

The Egyptians Knew (1964) — Illustrator — 39 copies

And Long Remember: Some Great Americans Who Have Helped Me (1959) — Illustrator — 39 copies

In the Park: An Excursion in Four Languages (1968) — Illustrator, some editions — 37 copies

How to Be an Animal Detective (1963) — Illustrator — 33 copies

The rice bowl pet (1962) — Illustrator, some editions — 24 copies

Wonder Tales of Dogs and Cats (1955) — Illustrator, some editions — 18 copies

The Chinese Knew (1958) — Illustrator — 17 copies

Penny Tunes and Princesses (1972) — Illustrator — 11 copies

The Brave Riders (1959) — Illustrator, some editions — 11 copies

Music for Young Americans Book 3 (1959) — Illustrator — 11 copies

Desmond's First Case (1961) — Illustrator, some editions — 6 copies

Grasses (1960) — Illustrator — 6 copies

The Tournament of the Lions (1960) — Illustrator, some editions — 5 copies

Farm Dog (1963) — Illustrator — 3 copies

Nihal — Illustrator — 1 copy

Tagged

adventure (232) African American (743) African Americans (145) animals (387) board book (177) Caldecott (475) Caldecott Medal (175) children (437) children's (749) children's fiction (170) children's literature (267) Christmas (282) city life (143) collection:Fiction (770) diversity (267) dogs (288) Ezra Jack Keats (399) family (667) fiction (1,321) friends (204) friendship (532) hardcover (628) imagination (256) multicultural (512) new baby (141) paperback (306) personality (293) Personality Development (303) pets (496) picture book (1,992) plot (522) realistic fiction (453) seasons (439) self-concept (177) shelf:Fiction (770) siblings (202) snow (1,333) Social Moral (196) weather (512) winter (1,469)

Common Knowledge

Legal name: Katz, Jacob Ezra (birth name)
Birthdate: 1916-03-11
Date of death: 1983-05-06
Gender: male
Nationality: USA
Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York, USA
Places of residence: Paris, France
New York, New York, USA
Education: Thomas Jefferson High School
Occupations: illustrator
children's book author
Organizations: 1971 White House Conference for Children
UNICEF
Awards and honors: The University of Southern Mississippi Silver Medallion (1980)
Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Award (established in his honor)
Ezra Jack Keats New Illustrator Award (established in his honor)
Society of Illustrators Lifetime Achievement Award (Posthumous, 2006)

Members

Discussions

children's book from 80's inner city in Name that Book (January 2013)

Reviews

The Snowy Day Board Book by Ezra Jack Keats

Independent reading level grade 1
Caldecott Medal1963

Flagged

mileiawatts | 758 other reviews | Apr 29, 2024 |

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats

Independent Reading Level: Grades K-2nd
Awards: Caldecott Medal in 1963 - honored for its outstanding and innovative illustrations, which make effective use of collage and are marked by their boldness and beauty.

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DFountain58 | 758 other reviews | Apr 29, 2024 |

Peter's Chair (Picture Puffin Books) by Ezra Jack Keats

The story of Peter realizing that things have changed now that the new baby is home gives a peek into children's minds as they adjust at home. His parents painted his old crib and high chair pink for the baby. I loved his attempt to save his little chair from being given away until he realized that he couldn't fit in it anymore.

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usagibunny1 | 332 other reviews | Apr 28, 2024 |

Whistle for Willie by Ezra Jack Keats

The young boy in this story wants to learn how to whistle to call his dog Willie to him. This book teaches young children that in order to learn something new, you must work hard at it every day.

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usagibunny1 | 262 other reviews | Apr 21, 2024 |

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