Two Drops of Brown in a Cloud of White

It is a typical December afternoon in Canada, cold, gray, and covered by snow. The story Two Drops of Brown in a Cloud of White unfolds in the school-aged girl’s first-person narration. She is walking home with her mom - in fact, she is sliding whereas mom steps carefully in the footprints already made in the snow. Both of them have beautiful brown skin and shiny brown eyes. The casual, delightful, and interesting conversation between mother and daughter brings to light the opposite perspectives they hold toward this winter day. In the daughter's cheerful eyes, winter is full of magic and fun. Her imagination runs wild in the snow and in the sky. Everything she sees is charming and joyful in its own way, and everything makes her curious heart sing. However, in Mom's opinion, winter days are cold and dull. She misses the warm sun and vibrant colors of summer, and most of all, she misses home.

What impressed me in Balasubramaniam’s storytelling was the harmony and joy flowing in the different viewpoints held by mother and daughter. The little girl always finds a way to see the bright side of her mother's sighs. And even though everything looks "monochromatic" to the mother, Mom always warmly smiles at her daughter's wonderful delight. The heartwarming ending shows that Mom comes to enjoy the "shiny and bright" winter and "see home" with her daughter, like “two drops of brown in a cloud of white”.

The story resonated with me profoundly. This past winter felt endlessly long and brutally cold to me who, like the mom in the story, moved across the oceans to a brand new country. In the meantime, my two little girls, who have been living in Canada their whole life, didn't seem to be bothered at all. They enjoy every piece of the snowflake and every flame of the fireplace. I appreciate how this book brings up a perspective rarely exposed before in children's literature – the immigrant parents' experience and feelings. How extraordinarily challenging for an adult to leave the first half of their life behind and start from scratch a new one in a place where everything is far from what they used to know. I was delighted to read such a children's book that offers stories behind the story.

The illustrator Eva Campbell is an internationally renowned artist. She brilliantly brings the charm of the characters and the Canadian winter views to life by her very expressive illustrations. The gentle backgrounds in the pictures and the bright colors used on the main characters help highlight the focus of the story.

Two Drops of Brown in a Cloud of White is a most enjoyable book for anyone to read! I would particularly recommend it to teachers who have a diverse and multilingual classroom. It would also make an excellent addition to library story-reading programs, especially those which welcome minority parents. This story will definitely encourage some meaningful reflections and thought-provoking conversations.