When You Were Little and I was Big

Dave Jenkinson is a professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Manitoba and the author of the “Portraits” section of Emergency Librarian.

At one time or another, most parents have heard their children pass judgement on the parents’ child-raising methods by saying something similar to “When I have children, I won’t” completing the statement with the parenting behavior they consider to be undesirable. Galloway picks up on children’s tendency to be critical of the child-rearing practices in their homes, but gives the theme a twist by using the idea of role reversal. Her central character, a little preschool girl, tells her mother a story about “when you were little and I was big.” A pencil sketch on each verso shows the little girl sitting on her mother’s lap while the text, which always begins with the title clause, tells what the little girl did when she was her mother’s “parent” — e.g., “I always let you go on the big toilet and you never fell in.” Galloway’s text captures a range of events in the child’s life from a lot of wish-fulfillment (such as staying up late on Saturday nights watching TV) to remembrances of shared emotions (such as when “You cried and cried when Daddy had to go away. I hugged you tight”).

Though Galloway’s writing is quite good, it is the imaginative qualities of Collins’ illustrations that elevate this book to the level of a “must” purchase for all homes with toddlers. Every recto is a full-color watercolor, but only the first and last show the brunette mother and blonde daughter as they really are. The rectos in between each capture the role reversal suggested by the text on the facing verso. The child (now “mother”) and the mother (now “child”) continue to wear the clothing from their earlier, proper roles, but their garments are adjusted to their newly increased or diminished stature. Facial features also reflect the newly acquired aging or rejuvenation. Collins’ art work subtly portrays the strong emotional bond between the child and parent. Galloway’s final sentence, “When you were little and I was big, I was a good Mummy just like you,” accompanied by Collins’ watercolor of daughter and mother hugging, give the book a warm, upbeat ending.

John Newbery, considered by many to be the first publisher of children’s books, included references to earlier books from his publishing house in the text of his later titles. Obviously, this selling technique has not been forgotten, for Collins has another Annick book she illustrated, Whoosh! I Hear a Sound, as a casual prop in two of her illustrations.