Reviews

Small in the City by Sydney Smith

agudenburr's review against another edition

4.0

A beautifully illustrated book about a child who is looking for their lost cat in a big city. The small size and details in the illustrations would make a better one-on-one story.

bookdingo's review against another edition

5.0

I borrowed this book without knowing anything about it and now I'm struggling not to cry, having read it. At first, I thought it was about a child experiencing homelessness and giving tips on what to do in the city, but no! This poor kid is looking for their lost cat and giving tips on surviving. OOF. Completely heart-wrenching.

studiomikarts's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.75

Looking at the cover alone, there was nothing that drew me to this book. I had glanced at it for a split second while browsing the SCBWI summer conference faculty bookstore and didn't give it a second thought. But after having it read to me during the illustrators intensive by the author-illustrator himself, I was moved nearly to tears by its powerful storytelling. I ordered it the same day and it reached me less than a week later. Reading it again, this time from my own personal copy, and even knowing the surprise twist, I was still a tad choked up by the end. I took a measly .25 of a star away from my rating because 1) the art style, though award-winning, is not always to my taste (overall I enjoyed it; I especially admire the treatment of reflections in glass and the depiction of snow falling more and more heavily), 2) the font choice just doesn't appeal to me, and 3) the portrait format of the book, while I can see its use in conveying the idea of tall buildings and cramped city spaces, made the book physically hard to read (hard to keep the pages down so that I could see the illustrations properly). Other than those tiny dings, which would not prevent me from buying the book again if I could go back in time, I loved everything about this picturebook and I'm proud to have it in my collection, both as a student of storytelling technique, and as a simple reader who loves moving tales.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Grief

libraryvee's review against another edition

5.0

Picture books can be such powerful things.

This one is beautiful and unexpected and meaningful. Sad, in that universal-understanding kind of way. I don't want to give away the premise, because the book has a bit of surprise in it, but it's just lovely.

Also, the illustrations are such a great companion to this: the bold sketches, the sparseness, the grim lines and the "small in the city" point-of-view angles really add to the impact of the story. And oh boy, what an impact it makes.

Warning: read this one with a Kleenex.

brambresseleers's review against another edition

emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

katieckb's review against another edition

3.0

This is a children’s picture book about a young child and their tips for other young children for surviving in the scary big city.

backonthealex's review against another edition

5.0

Follow along on a cold winter day as a young boy rides a streetcar into the center of a city, disembarks, and begins walking through the streets. Dwarfed by the tall buildings and traffic on all sides, the child begins "I know what it's like to be small in the city." Continuing through the streets, at first it feels as though the child is speaking about himself, and that perhaps it is about his own experience, but as the story progresses, readers realizes that he is thinking about his lost cat. His suggestions of how the cat could find safe spaces, under a mulberry bush or up a walnut tree, ways to avoid dangerous spots, biting dogs, dark alleys, or warm up in from of a dryer vent until it can find its way home are a reflection of his hope for the survival of his missing kitty. As the story progresses, so does the falling snow until at last it is quite heavy and the young child returns home, knowing that ultimately the cat will be all right. This is a very emotionally charged story, especially if you have ever had to search for a missing loved pet (I have, 2 of my 5 readers have, too). The text is rather spare, confined to the narrator's thoughts, but much of the story is told wordlessly in a series of small graphic frames, all of which seem to stress the child's being alone in such a big, busy city, and the aloneness the missing cat may be experiencing. The illustrations, done in ink, watercolor and "a bit of gouache" are beautiful, poignant, and yes, even heartbreaking, but ultimately also hopeful.

_lucrezia_'s review against another edition

emotional lighthearted reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

kaylac15's review against another edition

4.0

I didn't expect this book to be so sad. It was entertaining but sad. The illustrations were lovely.

cjeziorski's review against another edition

4.0

This was an interesting book. At first, it seems to be about a kid who lives in a big city. But there’s a bittersweet twist at the end.