PICTURE BOOKS

Firefly Season

by Cynthia Leitich Smith (text) & illus. by Kate Gardiner
HarperCollins/Heartdrum. May 2025. 40p. Tr $18.99. ISBN 9780063274440. Gr 1-2
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Gr 1-2–Summertime is one of the best times for Piper, a seven-year-old citizen of the Muscogee Nation and a descendant of Cherokee Nation. It means she can frolic among the fireflies, have story times with the elders, and indulge in grape dumplings with her cousins. When it’s time go back home to Kansas City, she finds she has a new neighbor. Sumi is four and has moved from Mumbai, India, with her father. The two girls grow a sisterly bond that is tested by distance when one has to move away. Gardiner’s art style wraps readers in comfort and coziness. The glow from the fireflies brings back the wonder and childlike awe and appreciation of summers with family. The illustrations provide a simple complement to the story of Piper and Sumi, which all families can appreciate, found or related.
VERDICT Sisterhood knows no limits, even across different cultural backgrounds, in a story that blends Indigenous and South Asian facets in a wonderfully accessible and childlike way.
Reviewed by Kaitlin Srader , May 29, 2025

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