Description
Winner of the Governor General's Literary Award for Children's Illustrated Book
A New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book of the Year
In this wordless picture book, a little girl collects wildflowers while her distracted father pays her little attention. Each flower becomes a gift, and whether the gift is noticed or ignored, both giver and recipient are transformed by their encounter.
“Written” by award-winning poet JonArno Lawson and brought to life by illustrator Sydney Smith, Sidewalk Flowers is an ode to the importance of small things, small people and small gestures.
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.7
Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters, setting, or events.
Recommended Age, Grade, and Reading Levels
- Age:
- 4 to 7
- Grade:
- p to 2
- Reading age:
- 4 to 7
Awards
- Short-listed, Andersen Prize — Best Book With No Words
- Commended, IBBY Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities
- Winner, Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Canadian Picture Book Award
- Commended, USBBY Outstanding International Books
- Winner, Michigan Library Association Mitten Award
- Commended, A Bank Street College of Education Best Children's Book of the Year
- Winner, Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustrator's Award
- Commended, ALA Notable Children's Book
- Short-listed, CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal
- Short-listed, Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award
- Winner, National Cartoonists Society Reuben Award for Book Illustration
- Commended, TD Summer Reading Club Top Recommended Reads
- Winner, Cybils Award, Fiction Picture Book
- Commended, NCTE Charlotte Huck Award for Outstanding Fiction for Children, Recommended Book
- Winner, Booksource Scout Award, Favorite Picture Book
- Commended, Globe 100 Best Books
- Commended, Horn Book Fanfare
- Commended, 49th Shelf Favourite Picture Books of the Year
- Commended, School Library Journal Best Picture Books of the Year
- Commended, New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Books of the Year
- Winner, Governor General's Literary Award for Children's Illustrated Books
- Commended, New York Public Library Best 100 Books for Reading and Sharing
- Long-listed, Goodreads Choice Award for Best Picture Book
- Commended, Kirkus Best Picture Books of the Year
- Commended, Publishers Weekly Best Books of the Year
- Commended, National Post Best Books of the Year
Editorial Reviews
Affecting, efficient, moving, kind. Lawson’s done the impossible. He wrote poetry into a book without a single word, and you wouldn’t have it any other way.
— A Fuse #8 Production
A quiet, graceful book about the perspective-changing wonder of humble, everyday pleasures.
— Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
A poignant, wordless storyline . . . this ode to everyday beauty sings sweetly.
— Kirkus, STARRED REVIEW
An emotionally moving, visually delightful ode to the simple powers of observation and empathy. . . . A book to savor slowly and then revisit again and again.
— School Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW
A reminder that what looks like play can sometimes be a sacrament.
— Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
I’d give this book to anyone with a coffee table, in a household with or without children.
— New York Times
Sidewalk Flowers wraps readers in kindness, tenderness, generosity and wonder.
— Quill & Quire, STARRED REVIEW
