This year marks the 50th anniversary of the publication of The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats, “widely considered the first picture book to star a black child.”

I was a big fan of The Snowy Day as a child. I loved the boy’s pointy hood and the shape of the snow angels it made. I loved the quiet narration. I loved the way that it makes the world feel so big. I still do.

Thanks to Sesame Street, two full generations of Americans have grown up in a city brownstone, even if we didn’t realize it. It’s worth recognizing that The Snowy Day helped make that happen.