Firefly Season

by Cynthia Leitich Smith Narrated by Katie Anvil Rich

Overview

Written by the award-winning, bestselling author of Jingle Dancer, Cynthia Leitich Smith (Muscogee), this unforgettable, warmhearted book is for family and the friends who become family.

Piper feels grateful for visits with her relatives, especially for the time spent with her cousins in Cherokee Nation and Muscogee Nation during summer vacations, fishing on misty mornings and playing on firefly-filled evenings. Piper's family lives a road trip away in Kansas City. So when a neighbor named Sumi moves in next door, Piper is excited to share her stories and seasons with a new friend.

The two are inseparable-until Piper's family moves to another city. Their bond overcomes distance, and with time, Piper dreams up a plan to reunite with the people she loves most of all.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"A familial narrative filled with longing, love, and the blessing of found sisterhood." — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"A glowing tribute to family across distance and lineage." — Kirkus Reviews

"Reflections on family, found family, and how bonds are forged and kept are reassuringly wholesome...Quietly sweet and authentic." — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

Kirkus Reviews

2025-04-04
A Native child navigates familial joys and heartaches.

Each year, 7-year-old Piper and her cousins spend a month on the border of the Cherokee and Muscogee nations, visiting family on both tribal lands. As they revel in summer fun, they deepen their connection to their Indigenous heritage by fishing, eating grape dumplings, listening to the stories of their elders, and learning to speak Mvskoke. On hot nights, older cousins teach younger ones the word forfirefly: koleppa. Back home in Kansas City, Piper finds herself missing her cousins, but she becomes fast friends with a new neighbor, 4-year-old Sumi, who is brown-skinned and of Indian descent. The two bond over the course of a year, and when Piper learns that she and her family are moving to Topeka, she protests, “I want to stay here, next door to Sumi. She’s my family, too.” Grief eventually gives way to joy as Sumi accompanies Piper on her summer visit; Piper, in turn, travels with Sumi and her family to India. Focusing on seemingly small yet meaningful moments, Gardiner’s (Nipmuck) tender, earth-toned gouache and colored pencil images evoke the poignance of interconnection, both its delights and sorrows. The visuals complement Smith’s (Muscogee) quiet narrative, combining for a lovely tale that honors Native heritage and the beauty of both blood and chosen families.

A glowing tribute to family across distance and lineage. (author’s note)(Picture book. 4-8)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940191055428
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	05/13/2025
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	Up to 4 Years

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