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, W. Nikola-Lisa explores the centrality of play in the work of acclaimed author/illustrator Ezra Jack Keats. The eclectic collection of essays in this volume draw upon the author's past research at the de Grummond and recent reflections on the concept of the "child archetype" and its representation in the work of Keats, a recipient of the prestigious Caldecott Medal for children's book illustration for his groundbreaking picture book The Snowy Day.