Gina London’s first book, Because I’m Small Now and You Love Me, will certainly not be her last…At least, if precocious Lulu has anything to say about it. Thankfully, after reading these charming pages, there is no doubt about that.
We have all experienced the blunt honesty and innocent perspective of a child. Experiencing the world from a height of two feet, a child has unique point of view and they are eager to share their thoughts with anyone who will listen. Because they have yet to develop the filters that we expect as they grow, children verbalize their simple insights, emotions, needs and opinions in ways that often shock us but more often make us laugh despite ourselves.
I’m Small Now succeeds in capturing these precious and yet awkward moments and reminds us of the fleeting innocence of youth. While we cringe at Lulu’s honest appraisals, demanding statements, and quizzical phrases, we also laugh out loud at her direct questions and desire to make sense of her world. Whether finding her place in the family, “Every day I’m your daughter, right?“, understanding time and space, “Are you far away or close away?” or expressing her untarnished altruism, “It’s nice to be good to them. ‘Cause their all gonna die.“, Lulu’s appraisals, and Ms. London’s brilliance in capturing the moments, provide a magical gift to the reader.
This wonderful book offers a beautiful and gentle hand-in-hand walk through childhood with a little girl who is discovering the world for the first time. And along the way if we are honest, we learn a little bit about ourselves.
