Featured Authors

Ezra Jack Keats was an award-winning children’s author known all over the world.  He lived in New York City and he loved everything about the city, the hustle and bustle, the buildings and even the design of the city itself.  He based many of his stories with people and settings of the inner city.  His characters are colorful and delightful and he takes those characters on many journeys.  He created a multi-cultural experience of fun and adventure.  He is best known for his first story, The Snowy Day and it is considered one of the best stories in the 20th century.

The Snowy Day

It is a beautiful snowy day and Peter goes outside to play.  Read the story to find out the adventures Peter encounters.

Objective:  Sequence

Activity:  Children will fold a piece of paper into eight boxes.  Inside each box write first, second, etc. as shown below. Children will write and draw events in the order they happened. 

#6 Peter made a snow angel.

#7 Ask:  How did the story end?

Peter’s Chair

A delightful story about a young boy named Peter who has a tiny baby sister. His parents are painting his baby furniture pink…

Objective: Using Question Words

Who? When? Where? What? Why did Peter change his mind?

Activity: Have children write the five question words on a piece of paper. After reading the story ask children – who was the story about? Children list the characters next to the word who? Continue asking question as children record their responses. (Children can also illustrate their answers).

A Snowy Day and Peter’s Chair

Objective: Compare and Contrast

Activity: Compare and Contrast both stories by using a Venn Diagram. Children draw two circles with both intersecting in the middle. Write the title of each story at the top of each circle. Write the word both, where the circles intersect. Have children think about each story and decide how the two stories are the same and different. On the inside of the circle outside the intersected part, children will write words that illustrate how the stories are different. Children will write how each story is the same.

Example:
The stories are different because of the setting. The Snowy Day takes place outside in the snow and Peter’s chair takes place inside the house.

The stories are the same because they both have Peter as a character.

A Letter for Amy

Peter wants to invite Amy to his birthday party. He encounters some problems…

Objective: Main Idea and Details

Activity: Use the organizer below to discuss this story.

Main/Central Idea: What is the story mostly about?

Detail:

Detail: ----------------- supports the main/central Idea

Detail:

Detail:

Children use the main/central idea and the details to write a summary of the story.

Regards to the Man on the Moon

This is a story full of imagination.  Louie’s father runs a junkyard full of amazing treasures.  Louie builds something and goes on an incredible adventure.

Objective:  Imagination and Visualization, Story Elements

Activity:  Ask children, If you had a junkyard full of treasures what would you build and where would you go?  Use story elements to help guide the writing.

Leo Lioni was a favored writer and illustrator of children’s books.  He was the first illustrator to use collage for his stories.  His use of earth tones gave his stories a feeling of warmth and excitement.

Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse

This story is about magic and secret wishes.  Alexander, a real mouse, meets Louie the wind-mouse, a child’s toy.  They become the best of friends.  Louie is discarded and Alexander misses him very much.  What happens next is magical!

Objective:  Use imagination to create a story plot.

Activity:  If you met a magic lizard what would you wish for?  Why?  To help children organize their writing, use the following graphic organizers.

Inch by Inch

A tiny inch worm outsmarts a nightingale.

Objective: Creative Writing

Activity: Ask, think of a time or make up a story when you outsmarted someone. What did you do and why? Children can write response in a journal or on a piece of paper.