Loving Advice

It's no easy task to be little in a world of large.  When you stand in an open sunny meadow, wildflowers dancing in the breeze, wander along a path strewn with needles among tall evergreens or gaze at a starry expanse at night, you feel the full power of your size compared to the surrounding vista but in some respects these scenes give us a sense of calm.  These spaces are not by our hands.  Walking among towering skyscrapers along crowded sidewalks with traffic buzzing by at breakneck speeds is an entirely different feeling.  Your size is further diminished somehow.

It's as if you are among giants, animate and inanimate, wandering with obstructed views except for familiar areas at your level, your line of sight.  Small In The City (Neal Porter Books, Holiday House Books, September 3, 2019) written and illustrated by Sydney Smith follows a small child on a mission.  Through his voice we are given a very personal perspective.

I know what it's like
to be small
in the city.

This child understands how the variety of sounds are frightening.  This child realizes how sensory overload can make decisions difficult.  Then, this child, makes it very clear, they are speaking to a specific individual, even though this individual is not present as they walk down the city streets.

Recommendations begin to be offered.  Some areas are okay but only under certain conditions.  Unruly pets are to be avoided.  If you need to hide, you can seek the comfort of certain shrubs or trees.

As snow begins to fall, the child increases suggestions of warmth, food and spaces for rest.  Readers come to comprehend the very intimate nature of the relationship between this child and the unseen being to whom they are speaking.  In several wordless images we are stunned by a revelation and a heartfelt request.  Nothing prepares us, though, for the twist on the final page.


With carefully constructed sentences, author (This is his debut as both author and illustrator.) Sydney Smith supplies us with truthful sentiments held by all who are small moving through an adult or taller world.  After several introductory comments, supportive examples identify exact impressions.  At this point we are curious but when the advice begins our interest, and yes, concern, grows.  We start to mull over in our minds the conversation between this child and someone else.  Who is it?  And this, readers, is stellar storytelling.  Here is the first tip by the child.

Alleys can be good shortcuts.

But don't go down this alley.
It's too dark.


Rendered in

ink, watercolor, and a bit of gouache

all the illustrations beginning on the dust jacket are heavily atmospheric.  The play of light and shadow allow us to feel the gravity of the situation.  The window on the bus featuring the child reveals another passenger when the right flap is opened.  To the left, on the back, the side of the bus fills this space until the opened left flap shows the beginning of another window.  The falling flakes of snow and the clothing worn by the child indicate the season as winter, elevating the emotional mood.

On the book case a brighter red, splashes which are used throughout the book, is used as its canvas.  The boy is embossed and showcased in the lower right-hand corner. Tiny dots, snowflakes, fall across his figure.

On the opening and closing endpapers, the palest blue gray with washes of white covers these pages.  Between the text on the title page, the child is seen walking next to a city bus.  On the dedication page, a flowered cup holds branches of vivid red berries.

For the first four pages there is a series of smaller wordless images. (There are more wordless illustrations within the book.)  They indicate the child inside the city bus until a chord is pulled and a stop is made.  Once the child begins to walk, the text is arranged among or opposite double-page pictures, a grouping of fourteen vignettes, full-page visuals, smaller images and three horizontal pictures on two pages.  Loose black lines frame the smaller illustrations.  Meticulous pacing heightens the mood and our expanding involvement in this wonderful story.

One of my many, many favorite pictures is on a single page, edge to edge.  A double-trunk tree is displayed prominently, its bare branches spread across the top.  Behind the tree, along the lower half of the illustration, are city buildings.  On the left trunk, a vertical row of boards has been nailed creating steps to a v-seat.  The child is there nestled between the two branches, still wearing his backpack.  Caught in a smaller branch on the right is what appears to be a small plastic bag blowing in the wind and snow.  Can you read the words?


Small In The City written and illustrated by Sydney Smith is a book to read and read again and then, to tuck away in your heart.  It's a tale in which all readers can identify; for who among us has not felt too small in a given situation. As a read aloud this invites speculation with every page turn.  And believe me, the farther you get in the book, the more you'll be going back to the beginning.  I highly recommend this title for your personal and professional collections.

To learn more about Sydney Smith and his other work, please follow the link attached to his name to access his website.  Interior images from this book are included on Sydney Smith's website.  Sydney Smith has accounts on Instagram, Tumblr and Twitter.  I believe you'll enjoy these interviews with Sydney Smith at Miss Marple's Musings and Art Of The Picture Book.

UPDATE:  On September 17, 2019 Sydney Smith chats with a host about this book on CBC Radio.

UPDATE:  On November 13, 2019 Sydney Smith and his artwork are featured at author, reviewer and blogger Julie Danielson's Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.