A warm and comforting slice of family resourcefulness, connection, and learning to embrace change.
Every year, a girl looks forward to the holiday dinner with her extended family. Grandma flies in; aunts, uncles, and cousins arrive; and everyone enjoys a big meal together. This year, however, a snowstorm keeps everyone away, so it’s just the girl, her brother, and their two moms. Will it even feel like the holidays? (The holiday itself is never specified, though a turkey and stuffing, plus a lack of decorations for other holidays, imply Thanksgiving.)
Mom prepares a simple stew; Mama suggests a hike while it cooks in the slow cooker. “The whole world glittered white with fluffy snow blankets tossed over everything,” the girl observes as they swish along. After the hike, there’s warming stew, followed by a family card game. It wasn’t as rowdy as when the extended family gathered for charades, “but it was kind of fun anyway,” she muses.
Still, “all the little leftover bits of disappointment” bubble up, and the girl complains that there’s not even one kind of pie, much less the three that Grandma brings.
A video call with Grandma brings a surprise solution involving the whole family. In the end, the girl reflects that the day “still felt special” and they may even have made up some new traditions.
This is an absolutely lovely tale of family life, of navigating disappointment but finding flexibility and gratitude. The text by Molly Beth Griffin blends clear and simple descriptions with occasional lyrical moments, while illustrations by Anait Semirdzhyan are soft and expressive. The fact that the family has two moms is completely incidental to the story. A highly recommended title.
The family is White.
