"Do you remember ...
... the rainstorm?
Oh yes, the rainstorm.
The rain was coming down so hard that
the roof was leaking. There was thunder and lightning,
and then the power went out.
You called out for me but you couldn't find me.
That's right ... "
Oh, Sydney Smith, you are a wonder! The stories you tell in a perfect partnership of word and image are forever etched in my memory. As I read this book, and pored over its watercolor and gouache art, I could not help but conjure up memories of my own.
A mother and child have just moved to a new house. Lying in bed, they consider memories from earlier times: a picnic with dad and a search for snakes and bugs, a new birthday bicycle and learning how to ride it, a rainstorm when the power went out. The conversation moves back and forth from one to the other.
Close-ups in the dim light of bedtime of two faces on two pillows, each asking 'do you remember' in turn through the night and into the early morning light of a new day. The pages that follow the question offer scenes from the past in square, ordered panels that show details from the memory being shared. The senses play an important role in each remembrance, as does family.
Although no reason is given for the dad's absence, readers are left with the distinct impression that the two will be just fine. They have made the long trip, found their new home, and are ready to experience this new life together. A memory quickly emerges.
"Do you remember the first morning in our new home?
It was just you and me. We could hear the buses rumbling.
We could smell the bakery from across the street.
And the sun was coming up over the city.
It was like magic."
Magic, indeed!
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