{This post contains affiliate links, please see my disclosure policy.}
I am a bit obsessed with Ezra Jack Keats. He is, by far, my favorite children’s author. I did a presentation on author-illustrator Ezra Jacks Keats for a children’s literature class when I received my Masters in Elementary Education and I fell in love with Mr. Keats as soon as I started researching!
Mr. Keats (his given name was Jacob Ezra Katz and he went by “Jack”) was a great Jewish man (his parents were Holocaust survivors and he served in the Army as well). He was the first author to put a child of color on the cover of an in-color children’s book. He realized that young black children did not have a hero in print that they could look up to. He wrote The Snowy Day and it received the Caldecott Medal, the most prestigious children’s book award, for the year of 1963. Then Mr. Keats wrote several other books about the same character, Peter, all of which have a unique distinction because of his choice of illustrations; he used paints, textiles, magazines, newspapers, fabric, etc. to illustrate his works of art. Oh, I just love him! He passed in 1983; in his lifetime he wrote and illustrated 24 children’s books and illustrated 85 more books with different authors. I am slowly collecting all of them (so if you see a sale, let me know!)
I want this book to remain special in my son’s mind, so I made a fun project for his Snowy Day Sensory Bin. He is about 4 inches tall and oh so cute! I can’t wait to give him to John, but will have to wait another week!
I found an adorable Peter Doll at Amazon. I didn’t want to spend the money, so I thought I would try my hand at making one! Our sweet Peter doll from The Snowy Day. Hot glue guns can do anything, you know! I printed off this picture, then I assembled my supplies:
- Hot glue gun
- Red felt
- Small circle brown felt
- Small piece of black yarn
- Scissors
- Black Sharpie marker
- 3-6 cotton balls
Then I cut out two red snowsuits for Peter, using the cut-out picture as a template. I stuffed a couple of cotton balls between the two, and carefully “hot-glue-gunned” him together!
Next, I made a cute Peter face with the brown circle, black yarn, and marker. I glued this to my red, stuffed snowsuit.
I can’t wait to put him in a Snow Sensory bin for my son! Here is the picture of Peter for a cutting template.
“Then he went out into the deep, deep snow.”
Check out more of our The Snowy Day activities here!
This is so adorable! I love looking (and attempting to make) at cute things made out of felt :)
So cute! want one!! Thank you for sharing
It was so simple, and cheap :)
So cute! My daughter and I both love that book!
I would like to invite you to link up to my linky party, Thrifty Thursday. You would fit right in and we would love to have you!
appleofmamaseye.blogspot.com
Hope to see you there!
-Lindsey
This is just adorable! I may have to make one even though we finished up our snow unit already. Thank you for sharing your creativity.
I love that book … and what an adorable idea! I pinned your post to my Kids’ Winter Activities Board at http://pinterest.com/debchitwood/kids-winter-activities/
Thanks so much Deb :) It was so easy and now my son and Peter are inseparable.
This is adorable!!
He is wonderful. I love this book too. My read it to my sisters and I when we were little.
I will be pinning on Pinterest and sharing this post on Facebook
What a great idea and ‘no sewing’ for those who don’t sew or don’t want to take the time! He is very cute!
My son loves this book and Peter’s Chair. I am going to make this and use the cottonballs as “snow” to play with in a bin. I think he will love it. Thanks for posting!
This is super sweet! Good job! Thanks for sharing this with us at Eco-Kids Tuesday! Hope to see you again today! http://likemamalikedaughter.blogspot.com/2013/02/bunnys-bento-box-eco-kids-tuesday.html
Just adorable! Thanks for linking up at Family Fun Friday! http://happyandblessedhome.com
Sincerely,
Monica