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 | single parent; spending time together; divorce; displacement; city life; moving homes; how to talk to kids about; talking to kids about; grieving; |
Written By |
SYDNEY SMITH is the creator of Do You Remember? (Boston–Globe Horn Book Award, Sheila Barry Best Canadian Picturebook) and Small in the City (Kate Greenaway Medal, Ezra Jack Keats Award, Governor General’s Award). His award-winning books include Sidewalk Flowers by JonArno Lawson; Town Is by the Sea by Joanne Schwartz and I Talk Like a River by Jordan Scott. He has won the Hans Christian Andersen Award and five NYT Best Illustrated Book of the Year citations. Sydney lives in Halifax, NS. |
Illustrated by |
SYDNEY SMITH is the creator of Do You Remember? (Boston–Globe Horn Book Award, Sheila Barry Best Canadian Picturebook) and Small in the City (Kate Greenaway Medal, Ezra Jack Keats Award, Governor General’s Award). His award-winning books include Sidewalk Flowers by JonArno Lawson; Town Is by the Sea by Joanne Schwartz and I Talk Like a River by Jordan Scott. He has won the Hans Christian Andersen Award and five NYT Best Illustrated Book of the Year citations. Sydney lives in Halifax, NS. |
Written By |
SYDNEY SMITH is the creator of Do You Remember? (Boston–Globe Horn Book Award, Sheila Barry Best Canadian Picturebook) and Small in the City (Kate Greenaway Medal, Ezra Jack Keats Award, Governor General’s Award). His award-winning books include Sidewalk Flowers by JonArno Lawson; Town Is by the Sea by Joanne Schwartz and I Talk Like a River by Jordan Scott. He has won the Hans Christian Andersen Award and five NYT Best Illustrated Book of the Year citations. Sydney lives in Halifax, NS. |
Illustrated by |
SYDNEY SMITH is the creator of Do You Remember? (Boston–Globe Horn Book Award, Sheila Barry Best Canadian Picturebook) and Small in the City (Kate Greenaway Medal, Ezra Jack Keats Award, Governor General’s Award). His award-winning books include Sidewalk Flowers by JonArno Lawson; Town Is by the Sea by Joanne Schwartz and I Talk Like a River by Jordan Scott. He has won the Hans Christian Andersen Award and five NYT Best Illustrated Book of the Year citations. Sydney lives in Halifax, NS. |
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, Globe 100 Best Books, 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