The existence of two worlds in A Snake Falls to Earth - one where animal people thrive in their true forms, and one where humans live - gives the reader a chance to delve into an exciting fantasy. Nina and Oli's story revolves around the existence of animal people, which feature in the Lipan Apache creation story.

Nina's quest to understand her heritage through Rosita's story is crucial to the plot, and the author's lyrical and whimsical writing is reminiscent of the fairy tales and folklore of childhood, bringing a sense of nostalgia to this fantastical book. She draws from her own Indigenous background, incorporating elements from oral tradition.

Little Badger's book is truly an ode to storytelling. The situation is complicated by a series of strange events and a nosy new neighbor's questions, and Nina begins learning more about her world than she could have ever imagined. Meanwhile, Nina finds herself searching the Texas desert she calls home to find the hidden meaning behind the final story Rosita told her before she died.

But then Oli must travel to Earth, in order to save one of his friends who is sick. He also meets some not-so-nice strangers and terrifying monsters along the way. Once settled into his new life, he befriends a silent toad, two energetic coyote sisters and a friendly hawk. After Oli is cast from his childhood home by his mother, like his elder siblings before him, he must learn to understand the world on his own and find a new home for himself. Inspired by traditional Lipan Apache storytelling, A Snake Falls to Earth by Darcie Little Badger is a dual perspective young adult novel following Oli - an animal person living in the land of spirits and monsters whose true form is that of a cottonmouth snake - and Nina - a Lipan Apache girl who is living on Earth and is determined to understand her Indigenous heritage through her great-great-grandmother Rosita's stories. Cast from his childhood home, a cottonmouth animal person must team up with a Lipan Apache girl on Earth to save the life of his ailing friend.

A snake falls to earth book