Before I Was Your Mother: Empowering Stories for Young Girls Celebrating the Joy of Girlhood and Mother-Daughter Love

by Kathryn Lasky, Kathryn Lasky

To Katie, it seems as if her mother has always been her mother, with her bills to pay and to-do lists--but in fact, her mother was once a little girl, just like Katie! Celebrate the joy of being a girl and the special love that mothers and daughters share.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Family

40 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Kathryn Lasky, also known as Kathryn Lasky Knight and E. L. Swann, is an award-winning American author of over one hundred books for children and adults. Best known for the Guardians of Ga’Hoole series, her work has been translated into 19 languages and includes historical fiction, fantasy, and nonfiction.

Reviews

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

So charming! The faces are so expressive and finely rendered. And more importantly, the storyline cuts to the quick!

The recollections of the mom being recounted to the daughter about how she wasn't always "a mother who wears comfortable shoes in public" or tells her noisy daughter and her little friends to "shush" while she's trying to hear someone on the other end of the phone.

She, the mother, tells her daughter that when she was a girl, she used to dream of owning red go-go boots, and she'd tap dance on garbage can lids in the dark and under the stars with her best friend Ruby.

I guess I can't do the book justice, you just have to enjoy it for yourself if you haven't already seen it. So sweet.

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 STARS
I like the idea of this story... a mother sharing with her daughter all the things that she used to do when she was her daughter's age. It shows the fun, quirky things that the mom used to do when she was a girl... and perhaps would shine some light on some similarities between the mother and her child (though it's really not made clear if they share similar childhood interests much). I guess I was just less wowed by this than I expected to be given Lasky is the author. Maybe if I hadn't had the high expectations this would be a 4 star book.

[nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read about this while working on some Six Traits alignment for work and just had to read it. It was lovely and sweet. PB and I read it on the couch, one day shy of 38 weeks, my feet swollen like Mac trucks, my belly jiggling like a bouncy castle, and my nose running like a river. 

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sweet tale of a mom who shares some of her childhood adventures with her little girl. The illustrations are soft, watercolor and pen and ink drawings and they complemented the story very nicely.

I think that reading this book with a child is a great way to encourage parents to share some of their funny and happy memories, some of their dreams and aspirations, some of the adventures and misadventures from when they were young.

I thought this would be a good book to read in honor of Mother's Day, and although we read it a little late, it was still a sweet way to cuddle and spend some time with our girls. I especially liked the last page, too.

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

LeUyen Pham is one of my favorite illustrators, so of course I was drawn to this book. The concept of the book has been done before (in This Quiet Lady by Charlotte Zolotow), but it was appealing to me as a mom and to Miss Muffet who is a child who thinks a lot about what adults were like when they were young. Reading this book actually prompted Miss Muffet to ask if she could see a picture of her grandma as a little girl! I thought the mom was a bit frumpy-looking in the pictures, and I wasn't sure why, but I like the way Pham portrays emotions through facial expressions and ultimately enjoyed the book.

[Kalynda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the story-behind-the-story view that this story told. It reminded me of students and teachers, and how so many students, both young and old, only think of you as this one identity, teacher. They can't imagine anything else. Which is why they give that shocked or surprised look when you see them at the store. What? You shop? It's funny.
In this story the mother shares all about her life and adventures before she was a mother, being told to her young daughter. The idea would be great to inspire other mothers to create their own story for their children.

[Jenna's Mom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jenna (3) didn't entirely "get it" that sometimes the mom in the story was talking about herself as a little girl. I think the concept of "before I was your mom" is not something Jenna could grasp at this age. In the egocentric world of a 3-year-old, a mommy has only ever occupied one role: mommy. I might try this again when Jenna is little older.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a wonderful way to show children that adults used to play and have fun too before they became grownups. It is a good way to open up the conversation of what Mom liked to do when she was a kid and for her child to see her in a new light. I really like the artwork too.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

I modified the narration a bit for our boys (leaving out daughter or replacing it with son to personalize it), but it's especially good read mother to daughter.

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute book! Made me a little melancholy for my childhood.

[Finny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mommy says: More for preschoolers than K-2.

[Heather Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sparked a great discussion with my kids, and the illustrations are fantastic! Definitely one to purchase!

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful, wonderful, perfect book. I loved it.

[Jacqueline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very sweet mother/daughter story perfect for a Mother's Day Story Time. The art really didn't work for me though, but I'm not sure why.

[Edward Creter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful artwork depicts mothers passing on fond memories of when they themselves were growing up. Share this with daughters as well as sons and see if kids will like it.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

My kids are still too young for this one. But we will read it soon.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love how this story recalls what the mother was like when she was little and culminates with her longstanding desire for her baby. I loved reading this to my daughter because I felt the same way!

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very sweet reminder for kids that their moms were once kids too! Love the illustrations by Pham, as always.

[Kelsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the kind of book that can only be fully understood once you are a parent. The loss of self and self sacrifice that it takes to be a parent and that comes with the territory is strongly felt (especially by new parents just making the transition into parenthood). This was well written and was a somewhat emotional read for me.

[Evvy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful, almost poetic story. Very reminiscent of my relationship with my own mother. I often wonder who & how she was before I came into her life & met her. But she always wanted me, & amazingly, still loves me & wants me around today. Thank God for good caregivers!

[Ame Kumori · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is very charming. It's a short and sweet monologue a mother is having with her daughter about what she remembers about herself when she was her daughter's age. It gives a very wistful and nostalgic perspective and a reminder that the special person who gave birth to you was once a child too. Some of these notions you never really think about when you're a child or an adult, such as the adventures they had, their personality traits they had before they grew up, their evolving likes and dislikes, the relationships they had with people, the way they perceived the world around them, etc... It such a simple and sweet children's book, but you can't help but internalize it because it's not an idea that one frequently acquaints themselves with. That the mother you should be grateful for having in your life, with all her wonders and gifts, was once a child too. The illustration in the book are lovely. The images are so soft, they draw you in.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet story about how moms were like their daughters at their age. I liked seeing different examples of things that kids do and the ending was even sweeter!