From the creator of Small in the City and the illustrator of Town Is by the Sea and Sidewalk Flowers, comes a moving look at how memories are made.
Tucked in bed at a new apartment, a boy and his mother trade memories. Some are idyllic, like a picnic with Dad, but others are more surprising: a fall from a bike into soft piled hay, the smell of an old oil lamp when a rainstorm blew the power out.
Now it’s just the two of them, and the house where all of those memories happened is far away. But maybe someday, this will be a favourite memory, too: happy and sad, an end and a beginning intertwined.
Do You Remember? is another unforgettable book from award-winning author and illustrator Sydney Smith.
Key Text Features
illustrations
dialogue
panels
Correlates to the Common Core States Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.7
With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the story in which they appear (e.g., what moment in a story an illustration depicts).
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.4
Identify words and phrases in stories or poems that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.7
Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters, setting, or events.
From the creator of Small in the City and the illustrator of Town Is by the Sea and Sidewalk Flowers, comes a moving look at how memories are made.
Tucked in bed at a new apartment, a boy and his mother trade memories. Some are idyllic, like a picnic with Dad, but others are more surprising: a fall from a bike into soft piled hay, the smell of an old oil lamp when a rainstorm blew the power out.
Now it’s just the two of them, and the house where all of those memories happened is far away. But maybe someday, this will be a favourite memory, too: happy and sad, an end and a beginning intertwined.
Do You Remember? is another unforgettable book from award-winning author and illustrator Sydney Smith.
Key Text Features
illustrations
dialogue
panels
Correlates to the Common Core States Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.7
With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the story in which they appear (e.g., what moment in a story an illustration depicts).
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.4
Identify words and phrases in stories or poems that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.7
Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters, setting, or events.
Published By | Groundwood Books Ltd — Oct 3, 2023 |
Specifications | 40 pages | 9 in x 10 in |
Keywords | starting fresh; child's perspective; children and parents; comforting; connecting; family and home stories; loss of a parent; memories; mother and son; new home; adapting to change; anxiety; coping; emotions; moods and feelings; fear of unknown; bedtime story; uncertainty; |
Illustrated by |
SYDNEY SMITH is the creator of Small in the City, which received the Kate Greenaway Medal and the Ezra Jack Keats Award. Other books he has illustrated include The White Cat and the Monk by Jo Ellen Bogart; Sidewalk Flowers by JonArno Lawson; and Town Is by the Sea by Joanne Schwartz, which received the Kate Greenaway Medal. His other accolades include two Governor General’s Awards and four New York Times Best Illustrated Book of the Year citations. He is also the illustrator of I Talk Like a River by Jordan Scott, which received the Schneider Family Book Award and the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award, and My Baba’s Garden, also written by Jordan Scott. Sydney lives with his family in Halifax, Nova Scotia. |
Written By |
SYDNEY SMITH is the creator of Small in the City, which received the Kate Greenaway Medal and the Ezra Jack Keats Award. Other books he has illustrated include The White Cat and the Monk by Jo Ellen Bogart; Sidewalk Flowers by JonArno Lawson; and Town Is by the Sea by Joanne Schwartz, which received the Kate Greenaway Medal. His other accolades include two Governor General’s Awards and four New York Times Best Illustrated Book of the Year citations. He is also the illustrator of I Talk Like a River by Jordan Scott, which received the Schneider Family Book Award and the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award, and My Baba’s Garden, also written by Jordan Scott. Sydney lives with his family in Halifax, Nova Scotia. |
Illustrated by |
SYDNEY SMITH is the creator of Small in the City, which received the Kate Greenaway Medal and the Ezra Jack Keats Award. Other books he has illustrated include The White Cat and the Monk by Jo Ellen Bogart; Sidewalk Flowers by JonArno Lawson; and Town Is by the Sea by Joanne Schwartz, which received the Kate Greenaway Medal. His other accolades include two Governor General’s Awards and four New York Times Best Illustrated Book of the Year citations. He is also the illustrator of I Talk Like a River by Jordan Scott, which received the Schneider Family Book Award and the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award, and My Baba’s Garden, also written by Jordan Scott. Sydney lives with his family in Halifax, Nova Scotia. |
Written By |
SYDNEY SMITH is the creator of Small in the City, which received the Kate Greenaway Medal and the Ezra Jack Keats Award. Other books he has illustrated include The White Cat and the Monk by Jo Ellen Bogart; Sidewalk Flowers by JonArno Lawson; and Town Is by the Sea by Joanne Schwartz, which received the Kate Greenaway Medal. His other accolades include two Governor General’s Awards and four New York Times Best Illustrated Book of the Year citations. He is also the illustrator of I Talk Like a River by Jordan Scott, which received the Schneider Family Book Award and the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award, and My Baba’s Garden, also written by Jordan Scott. Sydney lives with his family in Halifax, Nova Scotia. |
Audience | ages 3 to 6 / grades P to 1 |
Key Text Features | illustrations; dialogue; panels |
Common Core |
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.7
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.4 CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.7 |
Winner, Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards, 2024
Winner, Sheila Barry Best Canadian Picture Book of the Year Award, 2024
Commended, New York Times Best Children's Books of 2023, 2023
Commended, Wall Street Journal Best Books of 2023, 2023
Commended, New York Public Library Best Books for Kids, 2023
Commended, Kirkus Best Picture Books of the Year, 2023
Commended, Horn Book Fanfare, 2023
Commended, The Globe 100 Best Books of 2023, 2023
Smith shows that, at any age, shared memories can help tilt the balance from present-day fearfulness to hope for the future.
” —New York TimesAn immensely satisfying glimpse of a family's ability to navigate challenges through honest conversation and mutual support. STARRED REVIEW
” —KirkusThe author delicately and triumphantly creates a book worth remembering, with a relatable topic for families and school-age children who also may be suffering loss. STARRED REVIEW
” —School Library JournalThis hushed and deeply tender story will spark many conversations. STARRED REVIEW
” —Horn BookStrong emotion is conveyed through effective illustrations and book design … The undertone of sadness is ever present but so is the feeling of hope. The design and details in the illustrations ask readers to proceed slowly, think beyond what is stated, and construct their own interpretations of story and memory. STARRED REVIEW
” —BooklistA loving familial portrait that envisions intentionality around the process of memory-making. STARRED REVIEW
” —Publishers WeeklySydney Smith beautifully captures all the fear and hope that comes with change in this heartfelt picture book about remembering and starting anew.
” —BookPageThough there is an undercurrent of sadness, Do You Remember? concludes on a hopeful note, its images and nuances remaining in one's memory long after the book has been set aside. This publication is nothing short of a triumph for Sydney Smith.
” —Canadian Children's Book NewsThe essence of this story is to be found not in what's said, but in what's left unspoken … Do You Remember? is a story of separation and change not to be missed.
” —CM: Canadian Review of MaterialsBeautifully written and evocatively illustrated.
” —Montreal Gazette