Two Drops of Brown in a Cloud of White

Written by: Balasubramaniam, Saumiya

Illustrated by: Campbell, Eva

ages 3 to 7 / grades P to 2

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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.

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.

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.

Published By	Groundwood Books Ltd — Oct 27, 2020
Specifications	32 pages \| 8.75 in x 10.75 in
Keywords	adjusting; snow; winter; homesickness; cold weather; parents and children; mother and daughter relationships; emigration and immigration; new country; family; adaptability; appreciation; positive attitude; optimistic; child as narrator; first person narration; symbolism; metaphors; simile; figurative language; inferring; determining importance; Common Core aligned; CC Literature Key Ideas and Details; CC Literature Craft and Structure; CC Literature Integration of Knowledge and Ideas; grade 1;

Written By

SAUMIYA BALASUBRAMANIAM is the author of two picture books, When I Found Grandma, illustrated by Qin Leng (finalist for the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award) and Two Drops of Brown in a Cloud of White (Skipping Stones Honor Book). Her stories are loosely inspired by her own family experiences. Saumiya was born in Mumbai, India, and now lives in Toronto, Ontario.

Illustrated by

EVA CAMPBELL is an artist and illustrator who teaches visual art. She has exhibited her work in Canada, the US, the UK, Barbados and Ghana. Eva won the Children’s Africana Book Award for her illustrations in The Matatu by Eric Walters. She also illustrated Africville by Shauntay Grant, winner of the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award and the Lillian Shepherd Memorial Award for Excellence in Illustration, and a Governor General’s Literary Award finalist. Eva lives in Victoria.

Written By

Illustrated by

Audience	ages 3 to 7 / grades P to 2
Reading Levels	Guided Reading M Fountas & Pinnel Text Level M
Common Core	CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.6 CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.6 CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.4