Ezra Jack Keats: 13 books

Generations of children have read, re-read, and loved Ezra Jack Keats's award-winning, classic stories about Peter and his neighborhood friends. Now, for the first time, Peter's Chair, A Letter to Amy, and Goggles! are available in paperback exclusively from Puffin. "A master of ingenious collages,...

A procession travels to Bethlehem, bringing gifts for the newborn baby Jesus. The little drummer boy comes along, although he is too poor to bring a present fit for a king. Instead, he plays a song on his drum for the Christ Child. Within the little drummer boy's seemingly simple gift lies the true...

How can you enter a pet show when your pet runs away? That's the question Archie faces when he can't find his cat to enter in the neighborhood pet show. Fortunately, he does some fast thinking to win a prize in this beloved classic from award-winning author-illustrator Ezra Jack Keats.

Jennie's favorite aunt is sending her a new hat, and Jennie is sure it will be beautiful. But when the box arrives, the hat inside is very plain. She had imagined a wonderful hat with big colorful flowers and even tries to make her own hat from a straw basket! Jennie is almost ready to give up on...

The award-winning, classic stories about Peter and his neighborhood friends from the Caledcott Medal-winning author, Ezra Jack Keats. Peter has a new baby sister. First his father paints Peter’s old cradle pink, then his crib. Then his parents want to paint Peter’s chair! “Let’s run away,...

Susie and Roberto are putting on a puppet show and all of their friends have come to see it, including she Louie. As the show begins, Louie becomes fascinated by the smiling puppet Gussie and shouts "Hello!" in front of a silent audience. After the show, Louie goes home and dreams about Gussie. When...

Can a puppy be a kitten? This puppy thinks he is. As he plays with four kittens, he tumbles and stumbles, thumps and slurps, spills and falls. Then his mother arrives. Will the five new friends be able to play again? Award-winning author and illustrator Ezra Jack Keats's appealing illustrations will have readers purring with contentment. "A visually delightful book." (The Horn Book)

Since it was first published in 1964, Whistle for Willie has delighted millions of young readers with its nearly wordless text and its striking collage artwork depicting the story of Peter, who longs to whistle for his dog. The New York Times wrote: "Mr. Keats' illustrations boldly, colorfully capture the child, his city world, and the shimmering heat of a summer's day."

When Louie goes looking for a father, he meets Barney. Barney accuses Louie of stealing a music box from his truck, but Louie says he didn't do it. It's up to Louie's mother to settle the conflict and reveal that meeting Barney may be the beginning of the end of Louie's search. This heartwarming tale...

When the other kids make fun of Louie and call his father "the junkman," his dad explains that the so-called junk he loves "can take you right out of this world" with a little imagination. So Louie builds the spaceship Imagination I and blasts off into his own space odyssey. Reissued just in time...

Keats departs from his traditional style for his one and only wordless picture book, Clementina's Cactus. Clementina and her father are out for a walk in the desert when Clementina discovers a lone cactus, all shriveled and prickly. But Clementina discovers there is something beautiful hiding inside that thick skin.

When his family moves to a new neighborhood, Louie has to leave his friends behind. Sad and lonely, Louie creates a city scene inside a shoe box. The tiny diorama has a magical effect, sending his imagination back to old friends and old times. Then the spell ends, and a real-life adventure begins as Louie joins some new friends for Halloween night.

Roberto is excited about the paper mouse he made in school, until Amy asks, "Does it do anything?" Roberto isn't sure, so he leaves the mouse on his window sill and goes to bed. Before long his apartment building is quiet, but Roberto can't fall asleep. So he gets up to look out the window and sees...