Literary Devices in The Snowy Day
Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
Setting
The snow that brightens nearly every page of the book is a dead giveaway that this story takes place in the winter. And the presence of big buildings (10-11, 12-13, 14-15, 24), traffic lights (cove...
Narrator Point of View
There is no "I" in snow, and the person telling the story is clearly a narrator who isn't involved in the action, so right there, we know we're dealing with a Third Person point of view. But is it...
Genre
This one is pretty straightforward. Even though The Snowy Day makes for an enjoyable read regardless of how old you are, it's clearly a picture book (as evidenced by the pictures on every. single....
Tone
Shhh. When snow falls and covers the ground, it's a quiet phenomenon, and that's exactly the tone Keats sets in The Snowy Day. From the whooshing alliteration of the words "one," "winter," "woke,"...
Writing Style
Mark Twain would love this book. Why? Because there's not a single adverb. Okay. Actually, there are two: s-l-o-w-l-y, and very. Well…three. "Just" is used, too, as in the stick that was "just ri...
What's Up With the Title?
It's perfect, that's what. The Snowy Day encapsulates one boy's adventures as he explores his neighborhood the morning after a big snowfall. He observes the snow, tromps through it, slides in it, b...
What's Up With the Ending?
It might seem insignificant. After all, it's just Peter going out into the snow for another day of adventures, this time with a friend. But that last sentence tells us several things. By including...
Tough-o-Meter
This sweet little story? Yeah, this isn't exactly a taxing literary excursion. It's a children's picture book, after all. Nothing more to see here, folks.
Trivia
Ezra Jack Keats was born "Jacob Ezra Katz." He changed his name due to post-World War II anti-Semitism in order to increase his odds of finding a job. (Source)
The main character in The Snowy Day,...