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.

Sydney Smith was born in rural Nova Scotia and has been drawing from an early age. Since graduating from NSCAD University, he has illustrated multiple children’s books, including the highly acclaimed wordless picture book Sidewalk Flowers, conceived by Jon Arno Lawson, which won a Governor General’s Award, was named a New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Book and has been long-listed for the Kate Greenaway Medal. He is also the illustrator of Grant and Tillie Go Walking by Monica Kulling and The White Cat and the Monk by Jo Ellen Bogart, both highly acclaimed. Sydney has received a number of other awards for his illustrations, including the Lillian Shepherd Memorial Award for Excellence in Illustration. He now lives in Toronto and works in a shared studio space in Chinatown.

Sydney Smith's profile page

• Winner, Sheila Barry Best Canadian Picture Book of the Year Award
• Short-listed, Governor General's Literary Award, Young People's Literature — Illustrated Books
• Short-listed, TD Canadian Children's Literature Award
• Commended, Ontario Library Association Best Bets
• Winner, Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards
• Short-listed, Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Awards
• Commended, New York Public Library Best Books for Kids
• Commended, Kirkus Best Picture Books of the Year
• Commended, Globe 100 Best Books
• Commended, Wall Street Journal Best Books of 2023
• Commended, Horn Book Fanfare
• Commended, New York Times Best Children's Books of 2023

Strong 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

Booklist

Beautifully written and evocatively illustrated.

Montreal Gazette

An immensely satisfying glimpse of a family's ability to navigate challenges through honest conversation and mutual support. STARRED REVIEW

Kirkus

The 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 Journal

Though 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 News

The 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 Materials

A loving familial portrait that envisions intentionality around the process of memory-making. STARRED REVIEW

Publishers Weekly

Smith shows that, at any age, shared memories can help tilt the balance from present-day fearfulness to hope for the future.

New York Times

Sydney Smith beautifully captures all the fear and hope that comes with change in this heartfelt picture book about remembering and starting anew.

BookPage

This hushed and deeply tender story will spark many conversations. STARRED REVIEW

Horn Book