Q

Young kids are more empathetic than they get credit for, says Canadian illustrator Sydney Smith

Sydney Smith joins q's Tom Power live in studio to talk about writing and illustrating his latest project, a children's book called Small in the City.
Small in the City is a picture book by Sydney Smith. (Groundwood Books, Steve Farmer)

Originally published on Sept. 17, 2019

Sydney Smith is a Canadian illustrator from Nova Scotia whose latest project, Small in the City, is a story about finding refuge in unfamiliar places.

The children's book captures the feeling of being a kid in an enormous world. It follows a young child in a big, bustling city, as he shares his advice on where to find the best hidden nooks and crannies — but it's not clear who he's talking to until the very end.

Smith joins q's Tom Power live in studio to talk about drawing on his experience of moving to Toronto to write and illustrate Small in the City, and why all of his work seems to point home.

Check out some excerpts from the book below.

— Produced by ​Vanessa Greco