Librarian's Pick

When You Were Small is a librarian's pick at the Homeschool Co-op.

It’s just the right amount of silly.  ”When you were small, we used to give you baths in the teapot.”  ”When you were small, we let you sleep in one of my slippers. The left one.”

It’s lyrical.  Each page starts the same way, and has the same lovely cadence and rhythm.  ”When you were small…”

It’s beautiful.  The binding is lovely.  The book has a matte finish, with lovely muted colours.  It could be on display in a fancy home.  It could live on your coffee table.

It has a great ending.  ”Don’t you remember?”  Henry’s father replies.

It doesn’t belong on a coffee table.  It belongs on a bedside table.  Kid’s or parent’s.

Bloggers Know Best

Rounding up some of the more recent blog reviews of When You Were Small...

Irene Hoofs at  Bloesem Kids writes:

Sara O'Leary's witty text would stand well on its own, however the beautiful illustrations by Julie Morstad compliment the book terribly well and take the writing to a whole new level.  A perfect marriage of minimal text and delicate image, both so simple and yet so good, this books warms my heart and puts a smile on my face every time I read it!

And here's a write-up that has me walking on sunshine, by Katie at My Mama's Goodnight:

Sara O’Leary and Julie Morstad may be the finest writer/illustrator team since Roald Dahl and Quentin Blake. Their utterly lovely book, “When You Were Small”, is a feast of words and pictures the likes of which I have not seen in some time. Henry is a little boy who, like most children, likes to hear about when he was small. So, his loving father, with a penchant for exaggeration and wit, spins tales of Henry’s infancy when he could sleep in his father’s left slipper and bathe in a teapot. The whimsy with which O’Leary’s words spill forth is perfectly matched by Morstad’s gorgeous drawings. This is a match (and a book) made in Heaven. I would recommend reading it every night…right after your warm and fragrant teapot bath. 

The book was also recipient of a very nice shout out from talented (and very discerning) writer/illustrator Carin Berger at Bird and Little Bird.