BROWN GIRL IN THE SNOW

A Caribbean girl who moves to the snowy north longs for her verdant garden.

Amina’s new home is a snowy landscape where other kids play while she “daydream[s] of the sun-filled days she spent climbing coconut and mango trees.” What she misses most is “planting yams, callaloo, onions, tomatoes, peas, herbal bushes for her tea, and especially her sweet potatoes.” She mourns: “There’s a brown girl in the snow, / Tra la la la la, / where none of her plants will grow.” Her dad takes her to the library, where she finds comfort in a book about gardens. At school, her empathic teacher notices Amina’s horticultural interests and plans a field trip to a greenhouse. Other students express their excitement, and new friendships slowly begin to blossom. At the nursery, kind Mr. Lokon nourishes Amina’s sweet potato dreams. Marshall cleverly alters Amina’s song to gauge how the girl is adapting, turning “none…will grow” into “some of her / plants might grow” to “ALL of her plants will grow.” In a touching author’s note, Marshall discusses her own childhood emigration from Guyana to Toronto. Venezuelan-born Canadian artist Ferrer uses a rich, earthy palette for her inviting spreads saturated with greens and browns, reserving a lush purple for the beloved potatoes. She bestows Amina’s dad with an especially flashy, fabulous wardrobe. Characters are all depicted in varying shades of brown.

Family, friends, and greenhouse sweet potatoes ensure a youngster’s warm immigration transition.