A young girl who loves snow and winter walks home from school with her immigrant mother, who misses the sun and warmth and colors of home. But for the girl, this winter-white landscape is home. To her mother, the dry brown leaves are like skeletons; to the girl, brown leaves make her think of maple syrup. There isn't wrongness in their contrasting perspectives as this quiet, observant story progresses, just difference. Eventually, the girl's buoyant spirit, vivid imagination, and delight in the moment proves infectious. "Ma hugs me tight. 'When the sun comes out, everything will look so shiny and bright!'" This story featuring a South Asian mother and daughter affirms a sense of both longing and belonging across two generations of an immigrant family. Illustrations in oil and pastel on canvas showcase both the whites and grays of winter and bright punctuations of color and warmth. (Ages 5-8)

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.

Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.6
Acknowledge differences in the points of view of characters, including by speaking in a different voice for each character when reading dialogue aloud.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative language such as metaphors and similes.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.6
Describe how a narrator's or speaker's point of view influences how events are described.