cover image Keats's Neighborhood: An Ezra Jack Keats Treasury

Keats's Neighborhood: An Ezra Jack Keats Treasury

Ezra Jack Keats. Viking Children's Books, $27 (128pp) ISBN 978-0-670-03586-1

Keats's Neighborhood: An Ezra Jack Keats Treasury pays tribute to the life and work of the celebrated children's book creator. An introduction by Anita Silvey puts his books in the context of their time; illustrators such as Jerry Pinkney and Simms Taback describe the influence of Keats's work on children's books in general or their own in particular; and the attractively designed volume concludes with a brief biography. The work offers 10 complete stories (the trim size slightly enlarged from the original) including the Caldecott Medal-winning The Snowy Day (1962); Goggles! (1969), a Caldecott Honor book; and other favorites, such as Whistle for Willie (1964) and Peter's Chair (1967), plus sketches from The Turnip Seed, which Keats was working on at the time of his death in 1983. Photographs, original sketches and drafts round out the presentation.