Firefly season

"As Sun rises/ on misty mornings" in Cherokee Nation and "moon rises/ on steamy evenings" across the tribal border in Muscogee Nation, seven-year-old Piper, an only child, enjoys visiting extended family--fishing, dancing with fireflies, learning from older cousins, eating grape dumplings, and listening to elders' stories. Piper also misses her cousins terribly when she and Mama return to their Kansas City home. But "a new day brings/ a new neighbor": four-year-old Sumi, with whom she becomes fast friends. When Piper's parents announce a family move to Topeka, Piper and Sumi keep in touch, and a letter from Sumi prompts Piper's thanking the Creator "for the blessings of family." As time passes, the two deepen their bond, experiencing each one's favorite traditions on shared trips to Oklahoma and Mumbai. Declarative language from Leitich Smith (Holler Loudly), a citizen of the Muscogee Nation, traces a familial narrative filled with longing, love, and the blessing of found sisterhood. Colorblock-like gouache and colored pencil illustrations from Gardiner (Sometimes We Fall), a member of the Chaubunagungamaug band of Nipmuck Indians, lean into scenes of community and play in this work about two friends creating their own familial bonds. Background characters are portrayed with various skin tones. An author's note concludes. Ages 4--8. (May)

A Native child navigates familial joys and heartaches. Each year, 7-year-old Piper and her cousins spend a month on the border of the Cherokee and Muscogee nations, visiting family on both tribal lands. As they revel in summer fun, they deepen their connection to their Indigenous heritage by fishing, eating grape dumplings, listening to the stories of their elders, and learning to speak Mvskoke. On hot nights, older cousins teach younger ones the word forfirefly: koleppa. Back home in Kansas City, Piper finds herself missing her cousins, but she becomes fast friends with a new neighbor, 4-year-old Sumi, who is brown-skinned and of Indian descent. The two bond over the course of a year, and when Piper learns that she and her family are moving to Topeka, she protests, "I want to stay here, next door to Sumi. She's my family, too." Grief eventually gives way to joy as Sumi accompanies Piper on her summer visit; Piper, in turn, travels with Sumi and her family to India. Focusing on seemingly small yet meaningful moments, Gardiner's (Nipmuck) tender, earth-toned gouache and colored pencil images evoke the poignance of interconnection, both its delights and sorrows. The visuals complement Smith's (Muscogee) quiet narrative, combining for a lovely tale that honors Native heritage and the beauty of both blood and chosen families. A glowing tribute to family across distance and lineage. (author's note)(Picture book. 4-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.