Sydney Smith

Sydney Smith is a Canadian illustrator of picture books who has won the Kate Greenaway Medal twice — for Town is by the Sea (2018) and Small in the City (2021) — as well as the Hans Christian Andersen Award for Illustration (2024). He is one of the most celebrated illustrators in international children's book publishing. Smith's illustrations are characterised by their atmospheric use of watercolour and ink, their precision of detail, and their emotional sensitivity. Town is by the Sea, written by Joanne Schwartz, is set in a Cape Breton mining town. Small in the City, written and illustrated by Smith, follows a cat navigating an urban landscape. Smith grew up in Nova Scotia, Canada, and has collaborated with many authors, including Jordan Scott (I Talk Like a River, which won the Governor General's Literary Award for Illustration). He lives in Toronto and is one of the most recognised children's book illustrators in the world.