Snow Day

by Lindsay Gloade-Raining Bird, Ashley Thimot (illustrator)

A joyful, rhyming story in the vein of Ezra Jack Keats's The Snowy Day, this debut children's picture book follows an Indigenous family as they enjoy the magic of a winter storm.

All is quiet on the snow-laden street.
Not a single soul makes a teeny-tiny peep.
Then,
With a bound and a bang and a funny kind of twirl
Out comes a bundled-up joyful little girl.

Capturing the magic of a snowfall, Snow Day follows an Indigenous family as they experience all of the delights of a winter's day. While Mom shovels the driveway and Dad cares for her brother by the fire, a young girl and her dog make snowflake tea, build a snow caterpillar, catch snowflakes on their tongues, and make snow angels. All while the snow continues to fall. At the end of the day, the girl is beckoned inside by the promise of hot chocolate, and regails her family with her adventures' and dreams of doing it all again tomorrow.

Atmospheric, nostalgic, and full of winter fun, the debut picture book by mixed-Cree journalist, book reviewer, and podcast host Lindsay Gloade-Raining Bird is a celebration of Indigenous joy and childhood wonder. Features warm, colourful artwork rendered in traditional gouache and coloured pencil from debut illustrator Ashley Thimot.

32 pages, Hardcover

Published October 29, 2024

Reviews

[Lindsay]

I might be slightly biased but I think this book is perfectly adorable 🥰.

[Eliana]

I adore this charming, beautiful picture book following a young Indigenous girl throughout the course of her adventures during a snow day, with her family shaping her experiences and guiding her through the world. With illustrations that warm and sweeten, and rhymes that dance on the tongue, this story is full of life and love. The language flows easily and introduces some longer/new words for kids to learn, explore, and express. The illustrations are grounded in a reality that children can recognize and appreciate while also underscoring the whimsical and creative possibilities of a snow day, and the wonders of a child’s mind. I imagine this book becoming a classic of our times, and when I have children, I would be honored to read this to them. This would be great for any situation where children are being read to, it flows wonderfully for read-aloud time. I received an ARC copy through NetGalley, and gave this review without bias.

[Ashley]

Loved this wholesome read 🥹 the nostalgic feel of it, creative storytelling, and artwork together make it perfect for those young readers in your life. Will easily become a household classic!! Highly recommend!!

[Shannon]

This was a beautifully illustrated children's book told in rhyme that features a young Indigenous girl as she basks in the joys of a snow day. I loved the pictures, the diverse representation, the rhyming verses and really just everything. Highly recommended for young readers who love snow days and want to celebrate the positives of the winter season. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

[Theediscerning]

The power of imagination, as a girl spends a snow day with just her dog – and the mother of the family, stuck clearing the drive, making hot chocolate and so on. Rhyming verse shows the girl have an inelegant start to the day when she slips down the steps of their home, and the snowman doesn't work, but other things can be made with snow, and we see them in a kind of neon red outline, the spark of her imagination drawn large for all. The snow itself is a comforting wonder, travelling so far – and ultimately resetting when it keeps on falling overnight. There's nothing here to really make this solely for Indigenous audiences, and many a person will recognise how industrious and imaginative they themselves have been, when they have been moving and shaping and crafting the snow that fell on their childhood.

[ATLANTIC BOOK REVIEWS]

SNOW DAY by Lindsay Gloade-Raining Bird

As if we didn't already love a snow day we now have this delightful picture book titled SNOW DAY.

This book EXUDES all the joys of a day of snow from the perspective of a young girl. Her spirit of adventure shines through in gently rhyming verses. The imaginative illustrations add to the absolute delight of this story. Lindsay has captured the magic of a snow day and the pleasures of adventuring in the outdoor snowy world.

She "Slips down the stairs and slides on her face with a whole lot of silly and not a bit of grace." She makes "snowflake tea with her hands like a cup. She offers some to puppy: "one lump or two? A little bit for me and a little bit for you."

[Vicki]

Aptly named, this book feels like a snow day just reading it. Our main character and her dog have a cold, exciting day of playing in the freshly fallen snow. But when it starts to get a little *too* cold, they come back inside to warm up and tell the family of their adventures.

This is such a sweet story, perfect for storytime at the end of a snow day. I especially loved how the illustrations outline what the character is imagining during her play.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Donna Maguire]

I thought that this was a fun little story and it has some great illustrations.

The story was well written and it is easy to follow and reading the book was a lot of fun.

We don't get too much snow where we live, but we were lucky enough to have a snow day in November which we made the most of so we could really associate with the family in this book.

As a mum I liked that there were a few learning words in the story which will be great for young readers.

It is 4 stars from me for this one - highly recommended!

[Lauren | Wordsbetweenlines]

This is the cutest book to pick up this wintery season. The kids and I all loved it!

“When the snowman falls down she’s creative and makes and caterpillar and she’s very creative in the snow. And I love hot chocolate.”

“I think that I like it because she loves the snow and also she didn’t watch down, she slid down like a tummy slide!”

[Kristen]

Quick rhyming lines with beautiful illustrations about a day out in the snow for a little girl and her dog. Definitely a book I would read in my Toddler classroom. I voluntarily reviewed an advance readers copy of this book.

[Ola S]

Charming and smart. The story is creative, easy to follow and beautifully illustrated. Kids will love this book.