If I Could Keep You Little, written and illustrated by Marianne Richmond, is sure to resonate with both parents and growing children who are proud of their accomplishments.
Each page features a mom or dad talking about all the special moments they would hold onto if they could keep their little ones little. Moments like singing lullabies, holding your child’s hand, kissing cuts and scrapes and finger painting together plus more are featured.
Also highlighted is the flip side and everything parents would miss about their children’s growing accomplishments. For instance, one page says, “If I could keep you little, I’d decide on matching clothes. ”The facing page says, “But then I’d miss you choosing dots on top and stripes below.” What mom or dad hasn’t struggled with whether to let their children choose their own clothes or choose for them? This holding onto control vs. sharing it puts the struggle in perspective as part of a growing child’s need for expressing her own opinions and autonomy.
It’s a clever way of highlighting for parents all the things they love about their children as they grow. Kids should appreciate the colorful illustrations that do a great job of capturing all the moments and milestones written about in the text. This should be a great book for anyone you know with toddlers and young children.
