A touching book about a young indigenous girl attending a powwow, but unable to dance this year as she recovers from an illness. It's a testament to the power of community and tradition to heal the spirit.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a digital review copy of this book. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Powwow Day by Traci Sorell is a beautiful book about a little girl who is suffering from an illness and is disappointed that she can’t dance at her tribal powwow. Whether you have attended powwows before or have never heard of one, you will love and learn from this book. The Indigenous representation of tribal powwows, family and community is powerful. I would definitely incorporate it into an elementary or homeschool curriculum and I wouldn’t relegate it to just November. It addresses themes of childhood illness, disappointment, family and community support through an Indigenous lens.

Childhood Illness
On the day of the powwow, River wakes up to the reminder that she won’t be able to dance in the jingle dress competition. River, understands that she doesn’t have the energy to participate in the dances. But her family and friends support her as she copes with being on the sidelines. At one point, she thinks that she can participate in the opening dance, but is disappointed again when she doesn’t have the energy to do so. It’s an important point to discuss with children reading the book regarding empathy and how to show a sick friend support.

Family Support
River belongs to a strong family unit. They support and encourage her as she gets ready to attend her first powwow since becoming sick. Her sister is by her side making sure she is okay. Her mother is close by to offer a supportive hand when she feels her energy waning.

Illustrations
This book has beautiful, brightly colored illustrations. The colors of the girls and womens dresses set a gorgeous contrast to the green grass. I love that River is dressed in a brightly dress of orange and yellows. It seems like a decision her family would make to keep her spirits up.

History Of The Jingle Dress
I definitely recommend reading the last pages of Powwow Day by Traci Sorell that provide more information about the various aspects of powwow traditions. What I found especially interesting was the history of the jingle dress and it’s connection to the World War I flu pandemic. Dancers perform it in connection with both spiritual and physical healing.

This vibrant book is about life and healing. The story is told from the point of view of River, a young girl living in a tribal community. Due to her recent sickness, she is too weak to participate in the dancing at the powwow. Readers will observe the colors, sounds, and feelings evoked during the ceremony through her words. Most of the picture book consists of two-page layouts. The illustrations show perspectives from different angles including downward, close-up, from afar (including blurring out faces to show distance), as well as a few that could be from River's own view. The text is placed in key areas and never interferes with the scenes on the page. There are no dominate colors since the illustrator has taken care to include so many bright hues and lovely details in the dresses, flags, and regalia. It is implied River may be recovering from COVID-19, based on statements in the informational pages in the back. This section is a kind of glossary, explaining key elements of powwows and how they relate to culture and history.

Thanks to Charlesbridge Publishing Inc. and NetGalley for the e-galley. I read the published book for this reviews. My ratings and reviews are my own.

This book is beautifully illustrated and filled with great information about native culture and the practice of powwows. Non-native readers will get an easily accessible glimpse into another culture's traditions and native children will see their culture and traditions reflected in a beautiful and professionally published picture book.

My only complaint is that instead of being an overall positive book just celebrating powwow traditions the story is told through a girl is who is sick and sad she can't fully participate so the tone of the story isn't as celebratory as I had hoped. However, it is still a very good book.

This a beautiful picture book. Loved the art and the story. Brings back memories of past powwows I've been too.

Powwow Day brings us to the sidelines of a local Powwow. The story is told through the eyes of 8 year old River who is recovering from an illness. She is not able to participate and is a bit down because of that, but she wants to see her sister and cousins dance. Her friends and family dress in their Jingle Bell Dresses and dance for her healing in the arena. Watching them, gives her the faith and strength to believe she will dance next year.

This is a great book to teach children about a different culture. Through River's eyes we learn about about powwows and the importance of community to the Native Americans. The illustrations were beautiful. So colourful and emotions showed on their faces. The information in the back of the book is informative and provides readers with insight to the structure and importance of of a powwow and the participants. They share the history of the jingle dress, as well as modern day powwows. I found it interesting that during the pandemic, many jingle dances were shared on-line to help those who were sick. A great book for all libraries (Public, School and Classroom)

Powwow Day is a beautiful picture book showcasing the significance of the Powwow to a young girl and her family. Accessible text and brightly colored illustrations make for a lovely reading experience.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own.

I love the art, that there are so many bright, high-quality spreads in this book. It's also a strong feature of Indigenous culture. I found a bit of backstory lacking, but the story itself is so vivid and full of life that it's a must-read!

Already ordered a copy for my library. I enjoyed every aspect of this book. This illustrations were fantastic, and writing was great. We have a large group of patrons who check out FNIP books, and I'm sure they will love this one.

This book did a great job introducing children to powwows. It used an insider to help guide children through the process, even though the main character was sitting outside the event observing. The main character has an illness that is not named (although the author mentions that many indigenous people brought powwow videos to the internet during Covid, so maybe she has Long Covid?). That means that she cannot participate in the powwow even through she longs to join. There is a gradual transition from the main character feeling out of the loop to re-connecting with herself and the powwow during the event. I loved that it isn't just telling what powwows are, but it has a bit of a story element. A great purchase to expand your collection.

I absolutely loved this book. The illustrations, the story the end where it teaches you what is in the story. It really is a great book. If you want to add a great book about Indigenous culture this is the book for you. I hope to see more books just like this in the future.

Powwow Day is a great book for children to learn about Indigenous culture and ceremony. It is also a great way to start a conversation with your kids.

This is a beautiful story about powwow day and healing. The importance and the power of tradition not only for ourselves but for the ones we love who can’t participate. There is always hope for another year.

This gorgeously illustrated book with a gentle storyline introduces non-Native Americans to the wonderful Native American cultural tradition- POWWOW. thanks to The story follows River a little girl who’s just recuperating from illness and is sad because she can’t participate in her favorite part of the POWWOW festivities, the cultural dance. She wants to dance with other girls, but she can’t, “my feet stay still. I can’t feel the drum’s heartbeat.” She says. Luckily she’s surrounded by family who constantly check up on her. My favorite line in this book must be: “…but the girls don’t dance for the judges, they dance for the creator, the ancestors, their families and everyone’s health… including mine.” The story ends on a very hopeful note.

This book will be so important to young readers to increase their knowledge of Native American culture and customs. The main character, River, is recovering from an illness, and can not yet participate in their powwow.
The beautiful illustrations show the magnificence and beloved traditions of their celebration. So many other topics are touched upon--friendship, patience, and above all, resilience.
What a welcomed addition this will be for young readers' libraries. I learned so much about tradition in such a lovely way.

This was a beautiful and inspiring children's book about a young girl who, because of a physical limitation, isn't able to dance at the tribe's pow wow. I loved her internal strength and the message this brought. The illustrations were beautiful too, and I appreciated the explanation of the terms used at the end of the book!

Powwow Day by Traci Sorell, illustrated by Madelyn Goodnight

To be published on Feb 8, 2022. Please support this amazing picture book🔥 Perfect for beginning readers!

Many thanks to @charlesbridgepublishing
for sending me an ARC. Powwow Day is a wonderful story about healing and the power of community.

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It's the first Powwow Day since little River got sick. She wants nothing more than to dance at the Powwow alongside her sister. Yet she's incapable of doing so since she's still recovering from a long illness. This makes her very sad.

We follow River as she listens to the beating of the drums and admires the beautiful movements of the dancers around her. All of this moves River deeply, inspiring her to believe that she will be able to dance again one day. She learns that community can be a great source of healing.

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River's journey felt very similar to my childhood. There were a lot of things I couldn't do as I was also recovering from a long term illness. It can be quite isolating. I felt the same vibes of loneliness from River's character too. It's hard seeing your peers partaking in an activity you love, but you yourself can't participate. These feelings of loneliness are multiplied by a thousand when you're a kid.

In addition, I appreciated the manner in which this story showcases Native American culture! You can tell every word was written with the utmost love. It was also very informative. I only had a limited understanding of what powwows were before reading this book, but the author does an amazing job of explaining the significance of this cultural event.

I can't end this review without talking about the beautiful artwork. Madelyn Goodnight's illustrations are a burst of color and delight. Just gorgeous. I especially loved the panels in which the characters are dancing in their jingle dresses. Her artwork only added to this deeply moving story.

I was so excited about a new book from Traci Sorrell! I Powwow Day, like others of her books, we are given a glimpse into one of the tradition of the jingle bell dance. River is recovering from an illness and is not able to dance this year at the traditional dance. By the end of the dance River realizes that the dance is for her even if she isn't dancing. The illustrations in this book (also by an Indigenous illustrator) are bright and joyful. As wonderful as the story is, the notes at the end are a treasure in themselves. Sorrell details all of the Indigenous items or activities that are included in the book. Powwow Day would be a wonderful addition to a child's library. The book could also be used in multiple ways in the classroom, though it would be wonderful as a read aloud just for enjoyment of the story and illustrations.

The illustrations are clear, bright and engaging. Upon first look, I was worried that the simpler, less realistic illustrations wouldn't translate the intricacy and beauty of the clothing but it actually worked very well. The idea of the details, feathers and beads came through and the bright colors were just right. The text was well done, using correct language, but not so complicated that it needed explanation within the story. It felt more like the child was really telling the story, rather than the author explaining everything to the reader.

Such a gorgeous book; the illustrations are fantastic. River is so sweet and my heart went out to her a few times throughout this book. I loved all of the information that Traci provides about powwow's, it is always great when you get to learn about other cultures.