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ABOUT EZRA AND HIS BOOKS:
1. How many books did Ezra Jack Keats write?
Ezra wrote and illustrated 23 books. He illustrated many, many more. For a list of some of the books he illustrated go to the Books/Characters page on this site.
2. How did Ezra get his ideas for his books?
Most of the ideas for Ezra’s books came from his own childhood in the East New York section of Brooklyn. When he was a little boy he once considered running away from home. That is part of the story he put into Peter’s Chair. The neighborhood where he grew up had quite a few gangs of older boys hanging around. That was an important part of his book Goggles!
3. What was Ezra’s favorite book?
Ezra did not have a favorite book, of his own, or of anyone else. Ezra just loved books and he loved making them.
4. Did Ezra marry and did he have any children of his own?
Although Ezra did have a few long term relationships with wonderful women he never married, nor did he ever have his own children. In a way, Ezra’s success in writing books for children came from the fact that he never completely grew up himself. Whenever he wanted to, he could always look at the world just the way a child might. This made his books just right for kids and grown-ups.
5. Why did Ezra create Peter as an African-American child?
Ezra grew-up and lived in New York City, and therefore, he saw children of many different races and nations everywhere, everyday. As the child of struggling immigrant parents, Ezra knew what it meant to feel like an outsider.
As a young man it happened that Ezra saw a series of pictures in a magazine of a little boy, who happened to be black, about to get a vaccine shot. For some reason Ezra kept these pictures for many years not knowing why they were so important to him.
When Ezra was given the opportunity to write and illustrate his own picture book for children it struck him that all the books he had ever seen were filled with white children. That was when he realized why he had kept those pictures. That little boy was meant to be the hero of Ezra’s book. In a way, that boy was going to represent Ezra in the world of his own childhood.
6. How did Ezra make his pictures?
Ezra trained as a fine artist before he began illustrating books for others and for himself. He painted in oils, watercolor and gouache. When he began to illustrate, he experimented with collage as well. Ezra’s books are a mixture of all of these mediums. As you look through his books you will see collage, watercolor, oil, gouache, and even some pen and ink.
7. Where and when was Ezra born?
Ezra was born in the East New York section of Brooklyn, New York City on March 11, 1916. He was the youngest child of Benjamin and Augusta (Gussie) Katz.
8. Where did Ezra grow up?
Ezra grew up in the East New York section of Brooklyn, New York. He went to Junior High School 149 and to Thomas Jefferson High School.
9. Did Ezra have any brothers or sisters?
He had an older brother named William (Willie or Kelly) and an older sister, Mae. The whole family was talented in art. Willie was a successful photographer and Mae was a talented sculptor. Even Ezra’s mother was a gifted painter.
10. How did Ezra’s parents feel about Ezra’s artistic talent?
Ezra’s parents were very worried about Ezra’s becoming an artist. They were worried that he would never be able to earn a living. While they were afraid of encouraging him to study art, they couldn’t help being very proud of his talent. Despite their worries, they each made small contributions to keeping his belief in himself strong.
11. Was Ezra African-American himself?
No. Ezra was an American of Polish-Jewish descent.
12. How did Ezra start to illustrate and write children’s books?
Before entering the Army during World War II, Ezra had worked at Marvel Comic Books as one of the staff artists. After the war he got work illustrating for various magazines. From this work he was recommended for some jobs involving illustrating book covers for grown-up novels. One of these books was on display in a bookstore on 5th Avenue in New York City where it was spotted by Elizabeth Riley, an editorial director from Crowell publishers. Ms. Riley asked Ezra to illustrate children’s books for her company, one of which was named Jubilant for Sure by Elizabeth Hubbard Lansing. This is how Ezra began to illustrate books for children. It was only after many years of illustrating for other people that Ezra attempted to write and illustrate a book on his own. This book, The Snowy Day, Ezra brought to Annis Duff, senior editor at Viking Junior Books. The Snowy Day was published in 1962.
13. When did Ezra become an artist?
Ezra started drawing and painting when he was a young boy. He was always an artist.
14. Did Ezra have any pets?
As a matter of fact, Ezra had a number of pets. He had a dog named Jake and a wonderful cat named Samantha. You can see Samantha with Ezra in a number of pictures viewable on this website.
15. When and how did Ezra die?
Almost everyone in Ezra’s family had suffered with heart disease. Ezra’s heart gave out on the morning of May 6, 1983. He died holding the hand of his best friend, Martin Pope.
16. Will there ever be another book written and illustrated by Ezra Jack Keats?
While there may never be another book actually written and illustrated by Ezra Jack Keats there may be books written about the characters he created, Peter, Archie, Louie, Amy, the whole gang. Keep a look out for these books; be sure to ask your teacher or librarian about them.
17. Why are Ezra’s books so important?
There are four main reasons for the importance of Ezra’s books. First and foremost, his books are fun to look at and fun to read over and over again. Second, in addition to being fun to look at and read, the books help kids think about and deal with problems and feelings they experience as they grow up. Third, the artwork in Ezra’s books is exceptionally beautiful and gives kids and parents a chance to become familiar with the images of fine art. Fourth, and last, but not least, Ezra’s books are populated by children who are not wealthy and who come from many different races and ethnicities. The experiences these children have are shared by all children and so all children can see themselves in the pages of his stories.
18. Who answers the letters still written by children to Ezra Jack Keats?
Ezra decided that after he died the money made by his books (the royalties paid to him when people buy his books) should go to the foundation he had created, the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation. He wanted his Foundation to support arts and literacy programs for children in public schools and libraries. He also wanted his Foundation to take care of his books and answer the letters from all the children who would continue to write to him through the years. And so, Deborah Pope, the Executive Director of the EJK Foundation, and someone who grew up knowing Ezra, answers all the letters received by the Foundation.
19. Does Ezra show up in any of his books?
Yes! Ezra shows up in a number of his own books. In Louie’s Search, Ezra based his drawings for Barney on himself and, at the very end of the same book, there is a man driving the truck carrying Louie, his mother Peg, and Barney, after they have been married, who looks just like Ezra. In Pet Show, one of the judges, the one with the moustache, is probably Ezra. In The Trip, there is an actual photograph of Ezra in one of the apartment house windows towards the end of the book. There are a few more times when Ezra shows up in a book or two but we’ll let you look for those pictures yourself.
20. Where can I find descriptions of all the books by Ezra Jack Keats?
If you click on the Books/Characters page of this site you will find a good description of almost all of Ezra’s books.
21. Where can I learn more about Ezra and how to use his books in my home or classrooms?
Please visit the Educator’s Corner of this website. There we have collected quite a few resources for parents and educators interested in using Keats’s books more at home or to support a classroom curriculum.
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