January's Book of the Month--Small in the City

Happy New Year! January’s Book of the Month is SMALL IN THE CITY, by Sidney Smith. It’s his first time writing, after a string of accomplished books illustrated for other authors, including Town is By the Sea, The White Cat and the Monk, and wordless Sidewalk Flowers, all of which are definitely worth checking out.

SMALL IN THE CITY opens with a young child, bundled up against a chilly winter's day. After riding a bus, the child trudges through a landscape where “people don’t see you and loud sounds can scare you, and knowing what to do is hard sometimes.” Advice follows, and what initially sounds like an internal pep talk is eventually revealed to be something quite different. A blizzard covers the city in snow, and the situation seems increasingly dire, but a welcome final page leaves readers feeling optimistic.

This tender and sad-yet-hopeful picture book is a gem. Each illustration—"ink, watercolor, and a bit of gouache”--whether spot art or spread, feels like an artistic treasure. But Smith makes sure to bring plenty of heart to his work, as well. The writing is spare and poetic, without wasted words. The book as a whole achieves quite a nice rhythm--wordless spreads alternate with those that have text, and single images alternate with multiple pieces of art arranged in storyboard/comics-style grids. I would love to see SMALL IN THE CITY walk away with a Caldecott.

--Lynn