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Peter #4
A Letter to Amy
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, Keats has made brilliant variegated pictures."— The Horn Book
Ezra Jack Keats (1916-1983) was the beloved author and/or illustrator of more than eighty-five books for children.
"A master of ingenious collages, Keats has made brilliant variegated pictures."— The Horn Book
Ezra Jack Keats (1916-1983) was the beloved author and/or illustrator of more than eighty-five books for children.
32 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1968
17 people are currently reading
620 people want to read
About the author
Ezra Jack Keats
122 books373 followersEzra Jack Keats was an American writer and illustrator of children's books. He won the 1963 Caldecott Medal for illustrating The Snowy Day, which he also wrote. Many of Ezra’s stories are about a group of friends growing up in the city. The neighborhood they live in looks like the streets where Ezra grew up in Brooklyn, New York.
He was born Jacob Ezra Katz, the third child of Polish-Jewish immigrants Benjamin Katz and Augusta Podgainy. The family was very poor. Jack, as he was known, was artistic from an early age, and joyfully made pictures out of whatever scraps of wood, cloth and paper that he could collect. Benjamin Katz, who worked as a waiter, tried to discourage his son, insisting that artists lived terrible, impoverished lives. Nevertheless, he sometimes brought home tubes of paint, claiming, "A starving artist swapped this for a bowl of soup."
With little encouragement at home, Keats sought validation for his skills at school and learned about art at the public library. He received a medal for drawing on graduating from Junior High School 149. Although unimpressive-looking, the medal meant a great deal to him, and he kept it his entire life. Keats attended Thomas Jefferson High School, where he won a national contest run by Scholastic for an oil painting depicting hobos warming themselves around a fire. At his graduation, in January 1935, he was to receive the senior class medal for excellence in art. Two days before the ceremony, Benjamin Katz died in the street of a heart attack. When Keats identified his father's body, he later wrote, "I found myself staring deep into his secret feelings. There in his wallet were worn and tattered newspaper clippings of the notices of the awards I had won. My silent admirer and supplier, he had been torn between his dread of my leading a life of hardship and his real pride in my work."
His father's death curtailed his dream of attending art school. For the remainder of the Great Depression until he was drafted for military service in World War II, Keats took art classes when he could and worked at a number of jobs, most notably as a mural painter under the New Deal program the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and as a comic book illustrator. At Fawcett Publications, he illustrated backgrounds for the Captain Marvel comic strip. He spent his military service (1943-45) designing camouflage patterns for the U.S. Army Air Force. In 1947, he petitioned to legally change his name to Ezra Jack Keats, in reaction to the anti-Semitic prejudice of the time.
Keats spent most of 1949 painting and studying in Paris, realizing a long-deferred dream of working as an artist. After returning to New York, he focused on earning a living as a commercial artist, undoubtedly influenced by his father's anxieties. His illustrations began to appear in Reader's Digest, The New York Times Book Review, Collier's and Playboy, and on the jackets of popular books. His work was displayed in Fifth Avenue store windows, and the Associated American Artists Gallery, in New York City, gave him exhibitions in 1950 and 1954.
In his unpublished autobiography, Keats wrote, "I didn't even ask to get into children's books." In fact, he was asked to do so by Elizabeth Riley of Crowell, which brought out his first children's title, Jubilant for Sure, written by Elisabeth Hubbard Lansing, in 1954. To prepare for the assignment, Keats went to rural Kentucky, where the story takes place, to sketch. Many children's books followed, including the Danny Dunn adventure series, by Jay Williams and Raymond Abrashkin, and an ethnographic series by Tillie S. Pine and Joseph Levine, beginning with The Indians Knew. All told, Keats illustrated nearly 70 books written by other authors.
In 1983, Keats died at the age of 67 following a heart attack. His last projects included designing the sets for a musical version of his book The Trip (which would later become the stage production Captain Louie), designing
He was born Jacob Ezra Katz, the third child of Polish-Jewish immigrants Benjamin Katz and Augusta Podgainy. The family was very poor. Jack, as he was known, was artistic from an early age, and joyfully made pictures out of whatever scraps of wood, cloth and paper that he could collect. Benjamin Katz, who worked as a waiter, tried to discourage his son, insisting that artists lived terrible, impoverished lives. Nevertheless, he sometimes brought home tubes of paint, claiming, "A starving artist swapped this for a bowl of soup."
With little encouragement at home, Keats sought validation for his skills at school and learned about art at the public library. He received a medal for drawing on graduating from Junior High School 149. Although unimpressive-looking, the medal meant a great deal to him, and he kept it his entire life. Keats attended Thomas Jefferson High School, where he won a national contest run by Scholastic for an oil painting depicting hobos warming themselves around a fire. At his graduation, in January 1935, he was to receive the senior class medal for excellence in art. Two days before the ceremony, Benjamin Katz died in the street of a heart attack. When Keats identified his father's body, he later wrote, "I found myself staring deep into his secret feelings. There in his wallet were worn and tattered newspaper clippings of the notices of the awards I had won. My silent admirer and supplier, he had been torn between his dread of my leading a life of hardship and his real pride in my work."
His father's death curtailed his dream of attending art school. For the remainder of the Great Depression until he was drafted for military service in World War II, Keats took art classes when he could and worked at a number of jobs, most notably as a mural painter under the New Deal program the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and as a comic book illustrator. At Fawcett Publications, he illustrated backgrounds for the Captain Marvel comic strip. He spent his military service (1943-45) designing camouflage patterns for the U.S. Army Air Force. In 1947, he petitioned to legally change his name to Ezra Jack Keats, in reaction to the anti-Semitic prejudice of the time.
Keats spent most of 1949 painting and studying in Paris, realizing a long-deferred dream of working as an artist. After returning to New York, he focused on earning a living as a commercial artist, undoubtedly influenced by his father's anxieties. His illustrations began to appear in Reader's Digest, The New York Times Book Review, Collier's and Playboy, and on the jackets of popular books. His work was displayed in Fifth Avenue store windows, and the Associated American Artists Gallery, in New York City, gave him exhibitions in 1950 and 1954.
In his unpublished autobiography, Keats wrote, "I didn't even ask to get into children's books." In fact, he was asked to do so by Elizabeth Riley of Crowell, which brought out his first children's title, Jubilant for Sure, written by Elisabeth Hubbard Lansing, in 1954. To prepare for the assignment, Keats went to rural Kentucky, where the story takes place, to sketch. Many children's books followed, including the Danny Dunn adventure series, by Jay Williams and Raymond Abrashkin, and an ethnographic series by Tillie S. Pine and Joseph Levine, beginning with The Indians Knew. All told, Keats illustrated nearly 70 books written by other authors.
In 1983, Keats died at the age of 67 following a heart attack. His last projects included designing the sets for a musical version of his book The Trip (which would later become the stage production Captain Louie), designing
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 190 reviews
May 12, 2020
This is part of the Peter story. He is having a birthday party and he is actually inviting a girl, Amy, to his party and he is sending her a letter. It’s a short and sweet story. There is a rain storm in the book. Willie, the Dachshund is in the story, YES. I love the colors and the art style. I think it’s a simple story.
I didn’t think this was the strongest Keats book, but it was good. A 3 star book for me.
Nephew thought this was a missing story. He has never mailed a letter in a mailbox like that. He said not much happens. The boy writes a letter and mails it, has a party. He said that’s sort of boring. He missed the emotion wrapped up in this story. He wants more action than simply walking in the rain.
I didn’t think this was the strongest Keats book, but it was good. A 3 star book for me.
Nephew thought this was a missing story. He has never mailed a letter in a mailbox like that. He said not much happens. The boy writes a letter and mails it, has a party. He said that’s sort of boring. He missed the emotion wrapped up in this story. He wants more action than simply walking in the rain.
June 19, 2020
Pete is having a birthday party and writes a letter to invite a friend. This is a nice enough simple story but I couldn't understand why his mother gives him a stamp to put on it as he is taking it to his friends house. He finds she's out and he is dissapointed he couldn't give her the invite.
Stamps are really expensive, why put one on if you were taking it to her house? Then when he bumps into her he posts it, perhaps it meant he was too shy to give her the invite but then I didn't see why he went to her house first. Without the confusing stamp storyline this would have been a three star.
Read on open libray
Stamps are really expensive, why put one on if you were taking it to her house? Then when he bumps into her he posts it, perhaps it meant he was too shy to give her the invite but then I didn't see why he went to her house first. Without the confusing stamp storyline this would have been a three star.
Read on open libray
September 6, 2019
A Letter to Amy by Ezra Jack Keats follows Peter about his reluctance to invite his friend Amy to his almost all boy birthday party. To make matters worse, Peter bumps into Amy at the mailbox.
Will she come to his party? This is a delightful addition to the Peter collection.
Will she come to his party? This is a delightful addition to the Peter collection.
January 10, 2021
Not my favorite of the Peter series...
May 10, 2011
Well, I liked Peter very much, and Amy, and the story (though I wish there had been some sort of rebuttal response to the “A girl, ugh!” comment). But my very favorite parts of this book are the wonderful collage illustrations and the character of Willie the dog. I love Willie the dog!!! The parrot is kind of cute too, and definitely pretty. This is a very sweet story. But it’s the pictures and Willie that have me really liking this book. 3 ½ stars, 4 if the ugh girl comment had been properly addressed or, better yet, left out entirely.
February 4, 2020
What a cute little adventure Peter has, trying to get a message to Amy. I think that a child would love this to be read aloud.
May 25, 2008
A quick word on book clubs. I think they are a really great thing. A number of my kid's books are from the Children's Choice Book Club by Scholastic. Now this means that they have ugly, if durable binding. But it also means that I was exposed to a number of authors that I probably wouldn't have picked out on my own. I had a bit of a penchant for really girly stuff like Angelina Ballerina. Anyway, I have always been a voracious reader and I think the fact that my parents signed me up for a book club was a huge factor. (Other factors included, frequent trips to the library and their willingness to read to me for hours. ) Seeing these books now actually makes me think about joining a book club as an adult because I suspect that it could have the same result. But enough about that and more on A Letter to Amy. Beautiful art again, a much brighter and more sharply delineated than Pet Show. There is a wonderful picture of Peter with his dog and their reflections on the wet pavement. I really love this collage style for artwork.
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January 28, 2019Peter realized that he should never lose hope on anything because there’s always a chance that your wish might happen. The lesson of the story is to never give up Hope.
August 11, 2024
Love the art. The story is so brief that some folks don't quite understand it. He mails the letter, spending a stamp, in order to give his friend a proper surprise. He is ready to show the guys that a girl is a good person to be a friend, too, so no matter that they're jerks about it.
December 25, 2012
I would venture a guess that few adults can recall one of the first books they checked out from the library as a child. I am probably a rare breed as I can recall the book quite easily. It was "A Letter to Amy" by Keats. As a 4 yr old child discovering picture books in the early 70s, I adored the artwork of Keats and loved to trace the watercolor images with my little fingers. What made his book even more important to me was the fact that my own name was in the title! I notice that my students love this too. This is one thing that hasn't change in the heart of a child over time. They still enjoy hearing their own name in books as well.
A Letter to Amy explores the emotions of a child from panic to peace as Peter takes a risk inviting a girl to his birthday party. Willie the dog makes an appearance too. Looking forward to celebrating the 50th anniversary of The Snowy Day with my students coming in January as well.
A Letter to Amy explores the emotions of a child from panic to peace as Peter takes a risk inviting a girl to his birthday party. Willie the dog makes an appearance too. Looking forward to celebrating the 50th anniversary of The Snowy Day with my students coming in January as well.
June 3, 2008
My friend introduced me to Ezra Jack Keats, a white guy who writes stories about african people in urban settings, and I thought, "I could really like his work."
So I read the book she had on hand, "A Letter for Amy". I was intrigued with how the unique art style captured a cityscape setting. The story was engaging, told in an appropriate manner, yet alluding to older themes by illustrating the challenges children face (in this case, how does a boy ask a pretty girl to his birthday party?).
Not only is the urban setting and respectful treatment of a minority a refreshing addition to children's books, but thought the story was excellent. Themes of loyalty, awkardness, compassion and desiring to do something nice for others were addressed.
I will look for more of his work in future library trips.
So I read the book she had on hand, "A Letter for Amy". I was intrigued with how the unique art style captured a cityscape setting. The story was engaging, told in an appropriate manner, yet alluding to older themes by illustrating the challenges children face (in this case, how does a boy ask a pretty girl to his birthday party?).
Not only is the urban setting and respectful treatment of a minority a refreshing addition to children's books, but thought the story was excellent. Themes of loyalty, awkardness, compassion and desiring to do something nice for others were addressed.
I will look for more of his work in future library trips.
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November 27, 2018Text-To-Self Connection
This story reminds me of the time I had a birthday party in the 3rd grade and in school we had learned how to mail letters correctly. I went to school with just about all of my friends but since I learned a new skill on how to mail letters I wanted to mail my invitations to my friends, who probably only lived about 15 minutes from my house. I begged my mom to allow me to write out my entire address as well as my friends' addresses in the front of the envelope to mail the invitations to my friends. We walked to the post office to purchase stamps and drop the invitations in the mail. I was so excited that my mom allowed me to enjoy that experience growing up.
This story reminds me of the time I had a birthday party in the 3rd grade and in school we had learned how to mail letters correctly. I went to school with just about all of my friends but since I learned a new skill on how to mail letters I wanted to mail my invitations to my friends, who probably only lived about 15 minutes from my house. I begged my mom to allow me to write out my entire address as well as my friends' addresses in the front of the envelope to mail the invitations to my friends. We walked to the post office to purchase stamps and drop the invitations in the mail. I was so excited that my mom allowed me to enjoy that experience growing up.
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April 6, 2013Keats's book is about a boy that invites a girl to his birthday party. On his way to mail his letter his accidentally bumps into her knocking her to the ground. Terrified that she would see the letter and spoil the surprise he quickly mails it, but before he knew she had ran off crying. The party was a success however the girl had not come. Get the book to find out if she arrives. This book has excellently expressive illustrations. It can be used to help students practice their writings by interpreting the images and create their own stories.
January 12, 2019
I like this book because the card (a postcard, not like a game card) blows away, and it doesn't have a stamp. The mother gives instructions to the little boy named Peter (the boy, who, you know, was out in the snow) : Put the stamp on it, and your address and the place you live and your street and the zip code! That would be a good way to get it to Amy! And that's how it blew away: a strong gust of wind blew it out of hand. I guess the storm thought that was a good way to get it to Amy, but she [spoiler alert] even came without him needing to send the card to her.
June 11, 2017
An endearing story with stunning collage and paint illustrations of a vibrant and gritty urban landscape on a stormy day:
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July 4, 2015This book brings in the beauty of friendship and making choices. This book also opens up a wonderful way to expose children to connect reading to writing. Children can also get creative ideas on how to make their own invitation to their birthday or other special parties. When I've read the book in my classroom, that's exactly what we did. We wrote letters and then "sent" them to friends.
October 16, 2020
One of the things I’m really coming to appreciate about Keats is that his stories are so low key and so tuned into kid’s daily lives. A boy who invites a girl to his birthday party, even though his friends don’t think it’s a cool idea. The social awkwardness of it all.
And the illustrations are so great.
And the illustrations are so great.
July 29, 2016
Amy gets a mailed invitation to Peter's party. Will she show?
June 28, 2015
This book can be useful for introducing the topic of parties. Children can write their own invitations to the classroom party and then deliver the letter to their parents.
December 29, 2024
Our Peter is a little older now. He's nervous about asking Amy to his party. He experiences a mortifying snafu when he tries to mail her letter. Keats' illustrations are especially intense. The sharp yellows and reds, the deep greys and tumultuous layering reflect the feelings of our growing boy.
March 14, 2022
Peter wants to invite Amy to his birthday party so he writes her a letter but a storm gets in the way.
Read for our 1st grade Science unit on thunder and lightning.
Read for our 1st grade Science unit on thunder and lightning.
December 18, 2024
Peter decides that he wants to invite Amy, a girl, to his birthday party despite what his friends might think and while he makes mistakes and learns along the way, Peter ultimately does what he wants no matter what others expect of him. The illustrations in this one are absolutely stunning and strengthen the power of an already well-developed and relayed narrative. This tale and its text are wonderfully nuanced and subtle. The emotions, challenges, and choices in this story are things that many children will likely face at some point in their lives.
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April 15, 2018Text-to-World Connection
In the story a letter to Amy a little boy has a crush on a little girl and wants to send her an invitation to her party. In this book you can introduce children to the process of mailing a letter and explain that people receive mail all over the world. Your class could discuss where the little boy lives and compare him to another child that may live in another country and decide how you would mail a letter from that country back to the United States.
In the story a letter to Amy a little boy has a crush on a little girl and wants to send her an invitation to her party. In this book you can introduce children to the process of mailing a letter and explain that people receive mail all over the world. Your class could discuss where the little boy lives and compare him to another child that may live in another country and decide how you would mail a letter from that country back to the United States.
November 23, 2020
This realistic fiction book would be perfect for a 2nd grade class to learn about how to write a letter. There was letter writing within this book, so it could be an amazing opportunity for students to read this book and see the right components that should be within a letter. This would give my students a chance to have a discussion from the book, and then be able to create their own letters to a family member or friend that has all of the key details that they need and is written properly. This book has a diverse group of children who attended Peter's birthday party. In the book, Peter told all of his friends about his party, but wrote a letter to Amy because she's a girl and he thought it needed to be special, or different. He was also nervous to tell her in person like he did to all of his other guy friends. This book contains issues with equity because Peter treated his girl friend, Amy, a lot different than he did his guy friends when he asked them to go to his birthday party. This book has a lot to think about and could be approached and taught to students in many different ways.
November 30, 2017
Awards the book has received (if any): none
Appropriate grade level(s): Kindergarten- second
Original 3-line summary: A boy named Peter is throwing a birthday and wants to invite one of his friends Amy. However she needs a special invitation according to Peter so he goes through a thunderstorm to give her the invitation. While out he scares her away and Peter becomes sad that she won't come. In the end, she comes to the party.
Original 3-line review: I really like the author of this book and the illustrations because they are very consistent in each book written. I think the plot of the story is a little weird to be honest because this young kid is going by himself in a thunderstorm.
2-3 possible in-class uses: Can be used to talk about the importance of friendships
- Can be used to start a lesson on writing letters and then have children practice by sending letters to their friends
Appropriate grade level(s): Kindergarten- second
Original 3-line summary: A boy named Peter is throwing a birthday and wants to invite one of his friends Amy. However she needs a special invitation according to Peter so he goes through a thunderstorm to give her the invitation. While out he scares her away and Peter becomes sad that she won't come. In the end, she comes to the party.
Original 3-line review: I really like the author of this book and the illustrations because they are very consistent in each book written. I think the plot of the story is a little weird to be honest because this young kid is going by himself in a thunderstorm.
2-3 possible in-class uses: Can be used to talk about the importance of friendships
- Can be used to start a lesson on writing letters and then have children practice by sending letters to their friends
August 19, 2022
As with Peter’s Chair, Keats quite skillfully refrains from dishing a heavy-handed, and didactic, lesson to the story. Like most of the Peter stories, it feels very slice-of-life, where Peter learns something and we are shown the fruits of that growth without being like: “let that be a lesson to you, kids.” It also isn’t a perfect and tidy story. Amy running away crying is never explicitly dealt with. Just as the interjection by Peter’s other friend of “a girl!” When she shows up at the party is never explicitly addressed or repudiated. But the actions of Peter illustrate the point that being friendly, and not sexistly exclusionary, is good. Light touches that present some of the awkwardness and anxieties of childhood alongside the good-hearted kindness and friendships of youth as well. Great stuff.
February 5, 2017
Ezra Jack Keats is one of my seven-year-old and my favorite authors. Simple things become more detailed and worrisome topics (like inviting a girl to a party of boys) become simple and non-threatening.
The artwork is beautiful as always and adds emotion to the story beyond the words. A new favorite for encouraging my children to choose what is right and brings them happiness, no matter what worries over crowd-thought may arise.
The artwork is beautiful as always and adds emotion to the story beyond the words. A new favorite for encouraging my children to choose what is right and brings them happiness, no matter what worries over crowd-thought may arise.
July 17, 2010
This book is especially great to use with older kids who are beginning to deal with the dynamic of male/female relationships. They can relate to young Peter who wants more than anything for Amy to come to his birthday party. As always, Keats' illustrations are wonderful. Art teachers could use any of Keats' books along with Martin's Big Words to teach collage.
July 15, 2017
Peter was having a birthday party. He invited his friends, and especially wants Amy to come. To make it special he writes her a letter of invitation but when he goes outside to mail it the wind snatches it out of his hand. He runs into Amy, literally, and she runs home crying. Now Peter waits to see if she will show up at his party.
March 9, 2020
I didn't really enjoy this story. I felt like it had no story line and finished a bit abruptly, so much so, that I didn't even realise it had finished.
I think it should have a more clear story line other than he wants to invite a girl to his party and the other boys don't like girls.
I think it should have a more clear story line other than he wants to invite a girl to his party and the other boys don't like girls.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 190 reviews