Temperatures will continue to fall over the next few days

MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all. 

Turn Up Your Support

Send your next letter with a dose of nostalgia. The U.S. Postal Service has issued a new stamp in honor of Ezra Jack Keats' beloved children's book, "The Snowy Day."

The stamps feature illustrations of the young protagonist, Peter, frolicking through the snow-covered city — rolling a snowball, making a snow angel and generally capturing the ageless excitement of a snow day.

Keats' book was first published in 1962, and it was one of the first widely released children's books to feature an African-American character. It went on to win the Caldecott Medal, sell millions of copies and inspire a play of the same name.

"Before this book, children of color — African-American children, in particular — saw very little representation of themselves in picture books," U.S. Postal Service Government Relations and Public Policy Acting Executive Director Roderick Sallay said in a press release. 

"And then came Peter. A young boy who awoke to find the world outside his window blanketed in snow, and who couldn't wait to get outside and play. Through Peter, children of color found a positive representation of themselves, which instilled a sense of pride and self-acceptance. One that said, I both fit and I belong."

Keats went on to publish six more stories starring Peter. He died in 1983.

The "Snowy Day" stamps were unveiled at a ceremony at the Central Library in Brooklyn on Wednesday, and are now 

Arts and Culture

The Thread® - Books and Literary News

NewsPartners

Tracy Mumford

Author

You can send your next letter -- or bill -- with a stamp that honors Ezra Jack Keats' illustrated classic.

Stamp of approval: New postage stamp honors 'The Snowy Day'

Go Deeper.

Like this?