The CJM is proud to be a recipient of the 2022 Superintendent's Award for Excellence in Museum Education, awarded jointly by the California Association of Museums and the California Department of Education, for this program.
Grade Level: K–2
ADMISSION: Virtual tours on hiatus; resources available
Experience the magical world of Ezra Jack Keats in your classroom! This resource offers tools to integrate a visual arts experience into your K-2 literacy curriculum. Through an included video, students will be introduced to Keats’s biography as the son of Jewish immigrants; his path to becoming an artist; and his choice to portray characters of color who reflected the Brooklyn neighborhood where he lived. Students are also introduced to concepts related to antisemitism, cultural and racial representation, close looking, and narrative art making.
The CJM is proud to be a recipient of the 2022 Superintendent's Award for Excellence in Museum Education, awarded jointly by the California Association of Museums and the California Department of Education, for this program.
Lesson Plan
Based on The CJM's award-winning tour The Stories and Art of Ezra Jack Keats, this arts integration lesson plan for K–2 teachers introduces students to concepts related to antisemitism, cultural and racial representation, close looking, and narrative art making.
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The Snowy Day and the Art of Ezra Jack Keats was the first major exhibition in the United States to pay tribute to award-winning author and illustrator Ezra Jack Keats (1916–1983), whose beloved children’s books include Whistle for Willie (1964), Peter’s Chair (1967), andThe Snowy Day (1962)—the first modern full-color picture book to feature an African American protagonist. Published in 1962, at the height of the civil rights movement in America, the book went on to become an inspiration for generations of readers, transforming children’s literature forever. The exhibition featured over eighty original works by the artist, from preliminary sketches and dummies or preparatory books to final paintings and collages, including examples of Keats’ most introspective but lesser-known output inspired by Asian art and poetry.
Major support for K-12 School and Teacher Programs is generously provided by California Bank & Trust; William Randolph Hearst Foundation; Barbara and Ronald Kaufman; The Bernard Osher Foundation; Pacific Gas and Electric Company; and Yerba Buena Community Benefit Fund.
Header image: Ezra Jack Keats, “After breakfast he put on his snowsuit and ran outside” (detail). Final illustration for The Snowy Day, 1962. Collage and paint on board, 10 x 20 in. Ezra Jack Keats papers, de Grummond Children’s Literature Collection, McCain Library and Archives, The University of Southern Mississippi. Copyright © Ezra Jack Keats Foundation.
Exhibition image: Ezra Jack Keats, “It was hot. After supper Roberto came to his window to talk with Amy.” Final illustration for Dreams, 1974. Marbled paper and paint on board, 13 9/16 x 20 9/16 in. Ezra Jack Keats papers, de Grummond Children’s Literature Collection, McCain Library and Archives, The University of Southern Mississippi. Copyright © Ezra Jack Keats Foundation.