Smemory

By: Yvonne Moore
Illustrated by: Angie Scordato
Publisher: Jungle Wagon Press
Publication Date: 2013
ISBN: 978-0983409243
Reviewed by: Holly Connors
Review Date: April 2013

Everybody has at least one…a special smell that brings back wonderful memories. Perhaps it’s the smell of baking bread in Grandma’s kitchen, or the sweet smell of apples on a crisp fall day that brings back memories of a time spent with a best friend. The “Smemory” (yes, that is the word for it) is very real, and in this new book, it helps bring peace to a young woman who has lost a very special person.

The story opens with a young girl and her mother going for a walk in a beautiful garden. It is one of their favorite places where there is beauty all around. Flowers, however, are not the only things that live in the garden, for there is also “Smell.” Smell loves the little girl and her mother deeply and surrounds them with amazing fragrances that help seal in the memories of each special day.

The little girl loves going to the garden with her mother and they spend many truly joyous times there. But the years go by and then, one day, the little girl, now grown, returns to the garden. She is alone, and quite sad. She smells the cool fall air but there is nothing there – no sweet smells, no memories of happy times spent with her mother. But then, ever so faint, the young woman picks up the aroma of Smell. Will she be able to reawaken the Smemory of wonderful days gone by?

Smemory is a truly delightful story that isn’t just for young readers but for all of us. Perfect for a cuddle-up together read with your child, it has a lovely message of love and hope, tied up in something that we take for granted - the smells that we encounter every day. The tale also encourages discussion as it asks at the end, “What Smemory is waiting for you?” Add in the lovely artwork by Angie Scordato, full of soft, pastel colors, and you have a book that will be cherished for years to come.

Quill says: A very sweet, loving story that helps the child in all of us bring back our own special Smemories.

For more information on Smemory, please visit the author's website at: www.ymoorebooks.com