The Life and Works of Ezra Jack Keats Essay example -- Literary Analys

After a four week survey of a multitude of childrens track record authors and illustrators, and learning to analyze their kit and boodle and the methods used to make them effective literary pieces for children, it is certainly appropriate to apply these new skills to evaluate a single authors works. Specifically, this paper focuses on the life and works of Ezra cocksucker Keats, a writer and illustrator of books for children who single handedly expanded the point of view of the genre to include the experiences of multicultural children with his Caldecott Award winning book Snowy Day. The creation of Peter as a character is ground breaking in and of itself, but after reading the text the reader is determined to wonder why Peter was created. Was he a vehicle for political commentary as some might suggest or was he just another childhood that had until that time, been ignored? If so, what inspired him to move in this direction? Born in March of 1916 as Jacob (Jack) Ezra Katz, he w as the third child to asa dulcis and Augusta Katz. His parents were both Polish immigrants of Jewish descent and they raised him in East New York, the predominantly Jewish section of Brooklyn. As immigrants they were plagued with financial difficulties and this was advertize aggravated when they struggled through the Depression. Despite all of these hardships, Keats had already begun to showcase his artistic abilities. At the age of eight he was hired to paint the sign of a local store. Naturally, his father was quite proud of him when he earned twenty-five cents for his work and hoped that this might endeavor might lead to a steady public life as a sign painter. Unfortunately for him, Keats was smitten with Fine Arts and won his first award in Junior High instruct a medal for ... ...undeniable. Works CitedGerard J.Keats, Ezra Jack. Goggles New York Puffin Books, 1969.Keats, Ezra Jack, and Cherr, Pat. My Dog is Lost New York Crowell, 1960.Keats, Ezra Jack. Peters Chair. New Yo rk Viking, 1967.Keats, Ezra Jack. Skates New York Watts, 1973Keats, Ezra Jack. The Snowy Day. New York Viking, 1962.Senick, Gerard J., and Hedblad, Alan. Childrens Literature Review Excerpts from Reviews, and Commentary on Books for Children and Young People (Volumes 14, 34, 35). Detroit, Michigan Gale Research, 1995..Ezra Jack Keats A Virtual Exhibit. The University of Southern Mississippi De Grummond Childrens Literature Collection. Web. 19 July 2010. .Http//www.ezra-jack-keats.org/. Ezra Jack Keats Foundation. Web. 19 July 2010. .