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“On a snowy December day in Canada, a little brown-skinned girl and her mother walk home through the slush. But while the little girl delights in the snow, her mother misses the color and heat of warmer seasons…In the end, the mother doesn’t quite change her mind but is able to see snow as more than just a nuisance…the characters’ relationships with snow appear to be a metaphor for the daughter’s comfort in Canada and the mother’s homesickness for her native place.”

– Kirkus Reviews

Two Drops of Brown in a Cloud of White

Written by Saumiya Balasubramaniam
Illustrated by Eva Campbell
Published by Groundwood Books

A child’s joy on a snowy day finally helps her mother feel at home in their new country

A little girl and her mother walk home from school on a snowy winter day.

“So much snow,” says Ma. “So monochromatic.”

“Mono crow what?” her daughter replies.

Ma misses the sun, warmth and colors of their faraway homeland, but her daughter sees magic in everything — the clouds in the winter sky, the “firework” display when she throws an armful of snow into the air, making snow angels, tasting snowflakes. And in the end, her joy is contagious. Home is where family is, after all.

This gently layered, beautifully illustrated story unfolds as a conversation between a mother and daughter and will resonate with readers across generations.

Primary ISBN: 9781773062587
Publication Date: October 2020
Available As: Hardcover
Picture Book, Age 03 or older

Community Represented:

Themes: , , , ,

Setting: Canada (Toronto)

Character's Place in the Immigration Journey: 1st Generation

Book Creator(s) Connection to the Community Represented: Own Voices/Lived Experience

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Author Saumiya Balasubramaniam reads from her picture book, Two Drops of Brown in a Cloud of White

Source: House of Anansi