Introduction

Everyone dances in
and moves around the circle,
all connected to
the drum,
Mother Earth,
and one another.
Everyone.

p. 12

Powwow Day is a picture book written by Traci Sorrell with illustrations by Madelyn Goodnight. Published in 2022, we follow River and her family as they go to the powwow, wondering if River will be able to dance this year.

The Good Stuff

Okay, I’m going to gush about this book. IT’S SO GREAT. It’s so pretty and sweet!! My coworkers can confirm that I squee’d with joy when I saw it on our shelves for the first time, and reading it only strengthened that reaction. Beyond the fact of Sorrell’s wonderful prose and Goodnight’s vibrant illustrations, let’s get into what makes this book a beautiful, welcome addition to the canon of children’s literature about and by Indigenous authors.

Real-time view of me every time I get to read this book.

The Illustrations

It’s tough to pick a place to start, but I think the best way to dive in is with the illustrations. The cover is a shot to the heart for those of us that grew up on the powwow trail – the twirling jingle dress dancers and the singers at the drum is a welcome sight and points to a familiarity with and love for the tradition. Besides being gorgeous, these illustrations are accurate in their portrayals of regalia and experience. We see this event from River’s perspective and can feel her wanting to join the others in the circle. Little details like individual regalia pieces and patterns as well as the Morriseau-inspired(?) piece on River’s bedroom wall are nods as well to modern fashions and contemporary powwow cultures. I LOVE IT. It’s important to note here too when talking about the illustrations that Goodnight’s powwow attendees come in a wide range of skin tone, body type, and age – much like another one of my favorites (Fry Bread by Kevin Noble Malliard), it’s a wonderfully simple way to be inclusive of many different Indigenous peoples and experiences.

The Text

Sorrell’s text in this book is also beautifully simple while being evocative and emotional. We wake up with River in her bedroom and know that something is amiss – although she’s initially excited, she remembers that she won’t be able to dance this year. We aren’t given a reason why but dialogue and context let us know that River has been sick for a while and is only just on the mend. She takes us through her day at the powwow and wishes to dance with her community; by the end of the story, she knows that she’ll be able to dance again at the next powwow.

As I said at the top of this review – I know I’m gushing! There are a lot of really important elements to this text, however, that warrant it. I particularly appreciate that Sorrell doesn’t go into the specifics of River’s illness. That’s not the most important thing – the most important thing is that she has her family and community to lift her up until and after she feels well enough to dance again. The language of ‘feeling the drum’ is critical too, and is used to excellent effect by repeating in different ways throughout the story. The varying drumbeats make this a great candidate to be read aloud as well.

In Summary

I don’t want to make any of these reviews too long, but I wanted to start this blogging effort off in a good way, and Powwow Day is the perfect way to do so. It’s such a wonderful book and I’m thrilled I get to share it with my library kiddos. In short, this book is highly recommended.

The links in the main text will take you to the books as listed in the DC Public Library catalog. Alternatively, I’ve linked them below to their listings on Bookshop.org. Gichi miigwetch for reading!

Powwow Day by Traci Sorrell, illustrated by Madelyn Goodnight
Fry Bread by Kevin Noble Malliard

Adult Fiction anishinaabe belle of the ball book review books in prose braiding sweetgrass Clarion Books come see the fair Delacorte Press firekeeper's daughter frizzy gavriel savit gothic graphic novel highly recommended horror I Hope indigenous reads Introduction keep this between us Levine Querido LGBTQIA+ rep me irl middle grade murder mystery netgalley nipakosêyimon Nonfiction not recommended Orca Book Publishers own voices picture book powwow day recommended romance san souci science The Crossover tough stuff two bear cubs when the shadbush blooms ya YA fiction ya nonfiction Young Adult Fiction