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Small in the City

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Small in the City
Written and illustrated by Sydney Smith
New York: Holiday House, 2019. Picture book.

I don’t often say that a picture book gives me chills, but this one does that and more. To reveal everything that makes this book so special would be a real disservice to the calm, patient, and very sweet ending, but I will say that this book is very deserving of all five of its starred reviews. A little boy, alone in a big city, speaks as first-person narrator telling the reader everything he knows about being small in the city. We follow this little boy as he travels through his beautiful-ugly city brought to life. Tiny details that all city-dwellers know (i.e. plastic bags caught in trees, reflections of cars in windows) enrich the delightful reading experience this book offers. Like Ashcan realism for children, these illustrations are beautiful and sophisticated - especially for a children's book.

Don't miss out on this wonderfully understated winter read.
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