Do You Remember?

by Sydney Smith

From the author/artist of the multiple award-winning of Small in the City comes an innovative and moving look at memories, filtered through the mind of a child.

Can you hear the morning wind in the trees?
Can you feel the snowflakes landing on your wrist?
Can you taste the sweetness of the warm berries?
Can you hear the Spring peepers singing from the frog pond?

Using a series of descriptions and the luscious pictures that accompany them, a boy describes the memories that are so meaningful to him as he is about to move into a new home. With an audacious structure and brief, self-contained episodes, Sydney Smith takes us into the mind of the boy as he processes the complex emotions that he experiences as he contemplates his new surroundings.

Genres: Picture Books, Family, Grief, Childrens, Emotion, Fiction, Canada

40 pages, Hardcover

First published October 3, 2023

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Sydney Smith is a Canadian illustrator of children's books. He was awarded the 2015 Governor General’s Award For Illustrated Children’s Books for Sidewalk Flowers, a wordless picture book which he illustrated with author JonArno Lawson.

Smith studied drawing and printmaking at NSCAD University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. It was while studying there that he realized his interest for illustrating children's books.

Reviews

[Erin]

I feel like I need to sit with this one.

The illustrations are soft and beautiful and capture the dynamic of the darker present day reminiscing vs. the brighter and softer memories they are talking about. The plot does not make clear what happened: the image of the dad in the window of the car as the mom and son drive away make it seem as though there is a separation or divorce. But some of the phrasing as the boy talks about being worried or scared makes it seem like something more was going on: illness, abuse, or death.

The message holds true regardless: two people making a new life for themselves, talking about their shared history through memories. While I found the ambiguity of their situation distracting, I can appreciate how leaving the situation undefined makes room for many different possibilities and some discussion.

If a book is meant to make you think and feel things, this one succeeded. But I'm still not entirely sure how I feel about it.

[Jeremy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another beautiful banger of a book from the finest illustrator Atlantic Canada has ever produced.

Pick it up, and make sure you read his collaborations with Jordan Scott too!

[Thomas Bell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not sure how I feel about this one. I like the illustrations, that's for sure. I like the idea of just having pillow talk with Mom now that they're away from Dad.

But what's the deal with Dad? He's waving goodbye all friendly-like, and Mom is more than happy to share wonderful experiences about him with her son. And it looks like a SOLD sign is in their yard. Is it a separation or divorce? Are the mom and kid going to the city ahead of the dad? Does a job necessitate their being apart for a while? Hard to say.

[Clementine · Rating 5 out of 5]

gorgeous and sweet. a perfect bedtime book. (i cried!)

[Laurie MacAulay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm so grateful to have received an advanced reader copy of Sydney Smith's new picture book “Do You Remember?” today. As I've come to expect, the beauty of the illustrations is undeniable. Like his authorial debut, Small in the City, this story is both poignant and hopeful. As a divorced parent of a son it's even more meaningful. 📚❤️👏

[miyopastronot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes, i will remember this.

[Ilse O'Brien · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sydney Smith is a master of craft — specifically the craft of presenting a story in a unique way that captures your attention, prods your curiosity, and appeals to your senses. This story is about memories and many readers will ask questions about what has happened. The way he has presented it — the story itself, the images, and the structure — allows readers to take away what they want or need. Maybe it’s about waiting, or grief, or hope, or holding on to childhood memories as you grow up. Or maybe it’s about something else entirely.

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book as an adult reader for the AR Diamond Book Award. I wish the book had been more clear about what happened to make the mom and child move. Was it a divorce, death, just a move, or fleeing from abuse...? We don't know for certain and it makes the book feel a bit uneven, but it's still a very good book. The illustrations are soft, slightly blurry, and often don't give lots of help to figure out the story. A solid 3 star. *Side note: Even though you may be unsure what is happening in the story, don't be surprised if it brings a tear to your eye.

[Marjorie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This caught me off guard. Here I was slowly reading the dream-like text and looking at the beautiful illustrations, when I turn the page and realize the dad in the memories is gone and suddenly I'm crying with my toddler in my lap. And then the next page heals my heart with hope. Damn.

[Lúmina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Qué historia más bella, creo que la recomiendo para niñas y niños que tienen que lidiar con cambios y con la separación de sus padres. Sería precioso atesorar los momentos para que logren ser recuerdos gratos más adelante...

[DaNae · Rating 5 out of 5]

What are memories? Perhaps the shape of our lives? This book is stunning.

[Evelien · Rating 5 out of 5]

❤️😮‍💨

[Elizabeth · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wish the book had explained why the mother and son were now on their own. My first thought was that they had to flea an abusive husband/father, but it could also be that he died, or the parents got divorced. I don't like that the story is so unclear.

[Amanda up North]

Richly illustrated picture book that evokes emotion, but also confusion.
It feels like something sad or bad happened. I think it would have worried me to read this when I was a child.
As a naturally curious person, I found it unsettling not understanding what happened to this family. As readers, we're not privy to the story. It's a message instead that we can cherrish old memories and make new memories, too. Rebuild. But from what? That part is a clouded mystery. I don't know if that's a flaw or the beauty of it.
By being so vague, it might be applied to many different circumstances for conversation.
By being so vague, it feels very shadowy and melancholy.

I'm easily enamored by endpapers.
Patterned endpapers are great, but I was particularly enamored by the solid dark navy blue inside the front cover.
Surprise - the endpapers at the back cover are a lighter, brighter, optimistic sky blue.
(In my experience, endpapers usually match.)
Symbolic maybe, as the mother and son are in darkness throughout most of the scenes, until the sun is coming up - their first morning in their new home. A new day, new beginnings.
"And we weren't worried or scared. We knew we were going to be just fine."
So even though it feels like something sad or bad happened, the idea is that leaving whatever that was behind, brighter days lie ahead.

Uffda, those final illustrations. Emotion packed!
Followed by the simple dedication:
"For my mom"
As a naturally curious person, I wonder if there's a heavy backstory here, or what the inspiration for this book was.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

A haunting picture book about a mother and child recalling different memories in their past. Sometimes the mother will recall a memory with her text in pink and sometimes it will be the child with his text in blue. Some memories are clearly joyful while others hint at sadness and regret. The memories are not strung together so although there are changes, nothing is explained. It is up to the reader to come up with a story: was there a death? a divorce? is that sadness or relief? One thing does seem certain; the mother and child believe they will be okay. An evocative picture book that will inspire thought and discussion!

[Parsley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to go and find an article with Sydney Smith explaining what this was about as it really bugged me. article here I wasn't sure what I was reading about. But even without knowing, it was moving and beautiful.

[Peacegal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a lovely, pensive book in which a mother and son quietly reminisce together about their old lives in the country and realize that they are making new memories together, in their new home in the city. A unique and special book.

[Eline Pullen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a beauty of a book. A boy and his mom are remembering small and big things as they lie awake in their new home. A rich picture book with a lot of depth about memories, family and moving. Also a real interesting one to read for adults.

[Guilherme Semionato · Rating 3 out of 5]

SMALL IN THE CITY is way better.

https://www.tiktok.com/@holidayhouseb...

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This artist's unique vision tends to result in images and stories that touch readers' hearts, evoking a sense of poignancy and sentimentality that lingers long after the final page is turned. In this particular book, a mother and son have recently settled into a new place and are lying in bed sharing memories. This experience is surely relatable to readers, especially older ones, but youngsters will be able to relate as well. The background for many of the pages is dark since it's nighttime, but the memory scenes are filled with bright colors, and the exchange between mother and son is indicated in different text colors--orange for her and blue for him. There's a moving double-page spread showing the boy and the woman lying in bed, staring out into the darkness, that is simply perfect, depicting, as it does, so many emotions and thoughts that must be running through their heads as they reminisce about happy times, maybe happier times as well as some moments that weren't happy at all, and then recollect their journey to this particular place. Perhaps surprising it is the boy who suggests that this new home can be something worth remembering, perhaps a fresh start and one not fraught with worries or second thoughts. Readers don't know why the family has left their original home or what has happened to the father, which makes the story all that more relatable. Like the boy in the story, readers will realize that the moments they are living through right now may someday become the memories that stick in their minds. The illustrations, created with watercolor, gouache, and digital assistance, are memorable, and prompt a second and a third look.

[Tanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

By the end, my eyes were wet with tears as the boy embraces his new beginning though we knew he has been experiencing some worry and fear recently. It acknowledges both happy and tough times and leaves a lot of room for the reader to fill in their own why if the situation when you see them leaving their home in the countryside to go to the city and move into an apartment, waving good bye to the father. It’s okay for me to not know the exact way of this circumstance because it allows for a child to create what they need it to be—could it be divorce, perhaps? Could it be the child needs to be closer to a hospital for treatment? Who knows? Could it be that the family is moving for a new job and the boy and his mom left first while dad stays behind to sell their home? I don’t know, but it’s okay because it can work for helping a lot of readers know it’s “going to be just fine.”

I loved the illustrations and I’ve read this over several times looking for more details each time. I really think it can help a family to navigate some times of change which may be either distressful or hopeful, and leading them to optimism despite the other negative feelings happening. It brings a sense of peace by the conclusion, even with the unknown path ahead. Memories can help sustain us as we build new ones. I really loved this book.

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 5 out of 5]

My thIrd book by the Nova Scotia illustrator and picture book creator Sydney Smith, whose Small in the City I loved. This is a book I'll contend is about grief without much mentioning the lost one at all. This is a book about a mother and son together in the evening remembering things and seeing how memory works, as one recalls random details from events across time. Dad is in there, too, mentioned among everything else. They don't talk about missing him, but he's haunting their present.

I don't know he is dead, but he is gone, and mourned, but the focus is on forging a shared past with each other, mother and son, and recognizing that the moment of remembering together itself can become a significant memory.

I like picture books that don't insult the intelligence of children, that treat them as rich feeling human beings. The artwork is amazing--Reflective, contemplative, subdued but not necessarily sad. Judy quiet. So lovely and powerful, a mother-son book of real depth. One of my faves of the year. If Goodreads still had a picture book category I might just vote for this book. Highly recommended!

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another extraordinary book by Sydney Smith. The story opens in the dark of a small room with a mother and boy talking together on the bed. A series of memories follows with dark pages of the question yielding to light airy vignettes depicting the shared memory. The memories flow from a picnic in a field with father, mother and the boy to the journey of just mother and son to a new home in the city. The memories seem to bring the boy comfort and after his mother falls asleep he stands at the window and asks himself if he will remember his first day in a new house. Yes, he thinks, it was like magic.

The tone is somber and serious, acknowledging sadness, and loss but lightens at the end with a sense of hope. There is no information about why the family has separated and two are starting over. Readers wonder why instantly and I'm sure many will retrace the pages looking for answers as I did. All we know is they are no longer worried or scared and will be just fine. Sometimes that is all children know in situations.

The illustrations masterfully underscore the emotions so subtly conveyed in the text creating an immersive reading experience that lingers in the mind long after. This will be an outstanding book for discussions and to use as a writing or drawing prompt in classrooms.

[John Mullarkey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a reflective picture book that is heavy on emotion although the exact “event” that drives the narrative is vague. The illustrations have a hazy and dreamlike quality - almost as if we are veering into the past. Something has happened to the family that has driven the child and mother away to start a new life. What could be unsettling however, is mended by reflection of the children and the strength of shared memory - one gets the feeling that it is time to make a new start while keeping memories alive. This is another unique story by Sydney Smith, similar to the wordless Sidewalk Flowers, that hits an emotional level with readers of all ages and can be shared with an audience or group whose responses very well could result in many thoughtful interpretations.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

We need to change the rules of the Caldecott so that Sydney Smith can win. He art is incredible - it looks effortless, but once you look closer you are blown away by what he is doing.

This is a sweet and heartwrenching story about a mom and son remembering events in their lives, leading up to their present situation with them alone in a new apartment. You know there was a dad at some point, there was a house, there was a grandpa, but you don't know where they are now or what happened to lead to the mom and son being on their own. It feels sad, but hopeful. Very beautiful. A simple premise that is actually much, much deeper.

[Calista · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mother and a son look like they are about to go to bed and they are sharing memories between the two.

The artwork is impressionistic in a way so that the scenes are fuzzy like memories and also warm and cozy. The mother and son share their memories and they can both relate to them. It looks like this is bedtime and it's sort of dark in the room the two are in. Lovely artwork.

This reminds me of my niece. She didn't ask if we remembered. My niece was always asking, "Tell me an embarrassing story." She would ask everyone that. She loved embarrassing stories. At one point, I really had to dig to keep coming up with new ones. Still, I had plenty of things to tell her.

[Meg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Go immediately to your local independent bookstore and buy all picture books by Sydney Smith! He is the first Canadian illustrator to win the Hans Christian Andersen Award (2024). His art work is awesome and he uses a number of different techniques to tell the story, complimenting the text. My latest read by the author/illustrator is Do You Remember?

A mother and son are remembering past events as they lie together at night. A rain storm, a picnic, moving after the loss of husband & father are pictured in soft watercolors. The facial expressions are priceless. The reader becomes part of the memories. One is brought to tears by those memories! Highly recommended for ages 4+.

[Hanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely adore the author/illustrator’s art style. And I loved the structure of the book with the mom and the son taking turns asking the other “Do you remember?” And discussing a particular shared memory from the past. It felt like a very realistic and authentic interaction that a parent and child might have. And I children love to discuss what happened to them in the past. As other reviewers have mentioned, it’s a bit unclear why the family moved—if due to divorce or separation or a new job or abuse. So the details are left vague so readers could apply it to their own situation or discuss it.

[Brooke - TheBrookeList · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful. Sydney Smith has a gift for taking the poignant moments of his childhood and translating them for children who might be facing similar challenges. He does so with so much grace and honesty. Do You Remember? is a conversation between a mother and son, beginning again in a new home and a scary place of starting over. It is optimistic, ethereal, and built on the power of shaping our memories into the future we want.

Read as a nomination in the Fiction Picture Book book award category as a panelist for Children's and Young Adult Bloggers' Literary Awards (Cybils Awards).

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. A quiet beautiful, exquisitely produced book. My only hesitation in giving it five stars is I fear it may appeal more to adults than kids. There is not much story here but what there is is an elegiac and rich sensory remembering of family memories. I applaud the restraint. We are not told what to think or feel, or even what exactly what has happened. The author respects the child reader’s ability to clue into the emotional heart and figure out what has occurred and why these memories are being brought forward. Hopeful and brave.