Ezra Jack Keats at Play in the World of Children's Books

Nikola-Lisa, W.: - Professor Emeritus at National-Louis University in Chicago, and a popular children's book author and storyteller in his own right, W. Nikola-Lisa is the author of 35 books, including Ichiro and the Great Mountain, Circles, Lines, and Squiggles: Astrology for the Curious-Minded, and the Christopher award-winning How We Are Smart: A Multicultural Approach to the Theory of Multiple Intelligences. Along with his creative writing, Mr. Nikola-Lisa has published numerous articles on various facets of children's literature for the professional literature. A past recipient of an Ezra Jack Keats/Janina Domanska Research Fellowship at the University of Southern Mississippi's de Grummond Children's Literature Collection, Mr. Nikola-Lisa explores the centrality of play in the work of acclaimed author/illustrator Ezra Jack Keats, drawing upon the author's past research at the de Grummond Collection and recent reflections on the nature of play, creativity, and the literary imagination.