When I Was Little: A Four-Year-Old's Memoir of Her Youth

by Jamie Lee Curtis, Laura Cornell (Illustrator)

Jamie Lee Curtis and Laura Cornell perfectly capture a little girl's simple, joyous celebration of herself, as she looks back on her childhood from the lofty height of four and a half years.

This spirited view of growing up is perfect to share at home or in a classroom, as kids will respond to the exuberant pleasures of growing freedom and independence.

"When I was little, I could hardly do anything. But now I can do lots of things, like braid my own hair and go to nursery school. I'm not a baby anymore. I'm me!"

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Realistic Fiction, Memoir, Family, Humor, Juvenile

32 pages, Paperback

First published September 30, 1993

About the author

Jamie Lee Curtis is a two-time Golden Globe-winning, BAFTA-winning, and Emmy-nominated American film actress and an author of children's books. Although she was initially known as a "scream queen" because of her starring roles in many horror films early in her career such as Halloween (1978 film), The Fog, Prom Night (1980 film) and Terror Train, Curtis has since compiled a body of work that covers many genres. She has received an Emmy Award nomination and two Golden Globe Awards. Her 1998 book, Today I Feel Silly, and Other Moods That Make My Day, made the best-seller list in The New York Times. She is married to actor Christopher Guest (Lord Haden-Guest) and, as the wife of a Lord, is titled Lady Haden-Guest, but she chooses not to use the title when in the United States.

Reviews

[Ashley Frederick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! And it's not because it is written by Jamie Lee Curtis, but that does add to it. What I liked most about this book was how well Curtis wrote it from a four year old's perspective. It is about a four-year-old looking back to what she used to do when she was "little". Even though four is still pretty little, if you think about it, at that age, we all could not wait to grow up. We want to be big kids and do what big kids do. What we didn't realize was that at the age of 4, we were just beginning our lives. To us, a four-year-old is still a baby, but what does that make us to an eighty-year-old. The point I am trying to make within all this babbling is that, no matter how old we are, we still have some growing up to do. At the end of the book, the little girl says "When I was little, I didn't know who I was. Now I do." I think that we are constantly figuring out who we are at all times. Whether we are 4 or 80, there is always more that we can learn about ourselves and things that we will remember about ourselves when we were "little".

[Brigette · Rating 2 out of 5]

I generally try to avoid books that are written by Hollywood celebrities because I feel that they often get published based solely on the person’s previously-achieved fame, but I was intrigued by what a four-year-old might put in her memoir. The cover gives a feeling that the little girl who will be telling us her story, has been crafting and especially, decorating a photo album or scrapbook. There is a picture of her in the middle of the cover, and odds and ends covering the border. The title page shows another illustration that suggests that this girl is very conscience of her looks. On the copyright page, we finally see, for the first time, a pattern that will be used throughout the book: “big girl” shoes, next to “baby” shoes. This big girl vs. baby theme is also visible on the dedication page. The older sister is painting with a paintbrush, while the baby uses her hands. On each page of the book, the four-year-old tells of something she did when she was a baby, and shows her baby sister doing just that, then shows what she does now that she is a big girl. Many of the pages have a border, but not a perfectly straight border like we see in many books, but a border with wavy lines that give the impression that we are looking into the past, even though the four-year-old is in the illustrations as a four-year-old. I also think that the uneven border makes readers feel that the girl made it herself. No four-year-old that I know can cut a perfectly straight line, even if they have a guide to follow. The homemade feeling also adds to the idea that this is a photo album that the little girl made for us to look at, as was suggested by the cover.

[Shelby Wolfe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book because it shows how much a child remembers from the previous year. It also shows that the little girl can now do things that she couldn't do the year before. This book would be great in the classroom because it would help children to see that just because they couldn't do something the year before doesn't mean that they won't be able to; as they get older they see that they will be able to

[Xavier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute book. While this book is geared towards girls, a lot of it may apply to children in general. As kids grow they become more and more enabled and empowered. There may be some things that don’t completely apply to current times anymore like sitting in a car without a car seat, but honestly it is not 100% clear on the age of the girl in the story. I recommend this book, but it is not my favorite Jamie Lee Curtis book. The images in the book are also very pleasing, but not bright and flashy like more modern books. The writing style is not lyrical, but fun.

[Kelly Wickham · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet and innocent memoir of a child's young life. She realizes that at 4, she is a conscious being who didn't even realize she was a person before she grew into that consciousness. When she was little, she didn't have words, she didn't know she was a girl, and she ate gooey food. Now she has words, she is a girl and knows what boys are, and she eats good food like pizza and noodles. The illustrations are complicatedly detailed and bright, and you can find something new every time you look at them. Marcos really enjoyed this book full of pictures and a few simple words.

[Liz · Rating 1 out of 5]

Jamie you're an icon, but stick to acting because this book was awful

[TAKISHIA · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I Was Little is an autobiography of a little girl who shares the story of her life with the author. The story is told through the eyes of a four-year-old little girl is intended for ages of 4-8. This book is full of humorous insights of a four-year-old, from leaving the baby stages of her life to becoming more grown up at the age of four! This is a very playfully written book with watercolor illustrations are very colorful and the pictures cover the page in the background with the text printed on top of the pictures. I like how the author put the illustrations together to show the child's progression between what was done as a baby and what she is currently doing as a four-year-old. children will be able to relate to this book because it is written from the point of view of a four-year-old. The text in the book is very simple and does not overwhelm young readers with a lot of words. This story is hilarious, especially when she says that she didn't know she was a girl until her mother told her! LOL! This book can be used in the classroom as well as at home to help children make the progression from baby-dom to toddlerhood and they can see from the illustrations what is to be done as they are growing older. Wonderful book! this book will definitely help children come to terms with growing old and becoming more independent.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

This picturebook gives the unique perspective of a four-year old looking back on her days as a baby and celebrating all of her accomplishments. The illustrations are childlike and nicely compliment the theme of the book. The medium used is watercolor paintings. About half of the images are full-bleed double page spreads while the other half are bordered in a non-distinct cloud of white background. The page that caught my attention was on the last double page spread opening. The text reads: When I was little, I didn't know what a family was. When I was little, I didn't know what dreams were. When I was little, I didn't know who I was. Then on the last page there is an image of a young girl (still very little by all accounts) dressed up in all her uniqueness with the text that reads: Now I do! Jamie Lee Curtis and Laura Cornwall capture the simplicity of childhood through the viewpoint of an all knowing four and a half year old little girl. Acknowledging the thoughts, feelings and convictions of young children is something our society often overlooks in our tendency to downplay their intellectual and emotional intelligence. For me, this picturebook is a reminder to not underestimate the mind of a child.

[Diego Garcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book! The illustrations were very colorful and full of detail. The story is very simple but captures how a four-year-old would write a memoir. This would be a good story to introduce the concept of time and how people change over time. The simplicity of the story allows young readers to identify with the milestones that the four-year-old has reached. I would use this in my classroom if I was trying to get students to think about how they have changed. It could also be used to introduce activities that have students write about themselves and their experiences growing up.

[Kiera Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book by Jamie Lee Curtis! I think for this being her first book that she did very well! I love this book because every girl goes though that "I'm a big girl now" stage. I think this book would be great to read to Pre-K or Kindergarten students when discussing the theme growing and changing.

[jenna Hudrlik · Rating 4 out of 5]

caroline really likes this book becasue it is about a four year old and she is four - she really identifies with the little girl and thinks the book was written especially for her

[Lobstergirl · Rating 1 out of 5]

Execrable. I don't know what was worse, the text or the illustrations. Actually, I do: the fact that Jamie Lee Curtis had such an easy path to publishing.

[Bryan · Rating 1 out of 5]

My least favorite children's book ever. There is no flow, extremely bad. Stick to activia commercials.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorable illustrations and cute story!

[Katie Parrish · Rating 5 out of 5]

SUMMARY: "When I Was Little" is about a four-year-old who reflects on her past of being a baby. She compares herself to what she did as a baby to what she is able to do now, such as being able to eat chee-tos instead of baby food or being able to swim now without using floaties. The illustrations are fun and colorful and perfectly depict the speaker's stories. "When I Was Little" is the perfect read for young children to embrace growing up and developing into something more.

THEME: The theme of this book is "growing up" and transitioning into a big kid.

PERSONAL RESPONSE/RECOMMENDATION: I really enjoyed this story as a child because I always wanted to act older than I was. The comparisons in the book of when the little girl was a baby to how she is now at age 4 made it interesting to read and inspired me to think about all the things I could do now as an older child, than when I was a baby. I also really enjoyed the pictures because I related quite a bit to the character's ecclectic style, for instance her crazy hairstyles and love for makeup. I would recommend this book to 4-8 year olds because it gives children the opportunity to reflect on their progress and development and look forward to what is to come in the future.

[Aaron Fontes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book about how things can change in a kid's life with time can be a good teachable moment on how things change with time outside of this particular story. The illustrations are colorful, dynamic and altogether eyecatching, and can illustrate the before and afters of change independent of the text, as they usually depict the author's vision of her life before (when [she] was little) on one page, and after she grew some on the opposite page. That said, I do think that the complexity of the story makes it a little difficult to impart the message to a kid. Sentences mostly follow a pattern of "When I was little, X; now Y", and this simple structure I don't think has the backbone to supply a meaningful lesson about how things can change (mostly for better) with time without supplementation from an adult reader. That said, just because an adult may be needed to get the most out of this short picturebook, it doesn't mean it isn't a perfectly fine book to read with a child to teach them about how time progresses.

[Marissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book I decided to read for the night is When I was little by Jamie Lee Curtis. This is a picture memoir book that I enjoyed reading. For starter I enjoyed the illustration and the detail and imagination put into the artwork. One thing that stood out to me was the fact that each page had an illustration of when Jamie Lee Curtis was a baby next to her at four years old. This gives students visual of her completing task that she may not have been able to do before she was four. Also for an older audience you can find the humor in the comparison between the two. One part of the book I enjoyed was when Jamie explains how when she was a baby she slept in a zoo. To her she felt as though she slept in a zoo due to the fact that she was surrounded by stuffed animals. Her conclusion was interesting and shows how smart and observing young children are. In all was a cute read and something I would use on a class room to incorporate past and present or cause and effect.

[Holly · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I Was Little
Reviewed by Holly Koch

I thought that the book overall was okay.The book is about a little girl comparing life when she was a baby/toddler to it now that she is a few years older. It’s all very simple things that she compares,then to now, that I am sure everyone can relate to. I knew for most of them, growing up, I felt the same as a kid as she did in the book. At the end of the book, she says she didn’t know who she was but that now she does. I’m guessing that is the social issue here? But even so, she doesn’t know who she is quite yet, she’s just a child and has so much further to go. But then again, that could be another issue. Thinking that you have everything figured out when you are young.
The illustrations of the book fit well to the theme. Drawings were detailed enough but still child like.

[Anysa · Rating 4 out of 5]

For sure I would love to read this to my children. The illustrations and the story just really connects. This book in particular is one I would read maybe the first day of school and create icebreakers and activities that start to develop that transition from being home to going to school. The story is told horizontally and the illustrations follow one page to the other which is something that young kids would really enjoy. I love how this is told from a c holds point of view and at the end she says thats he now knows who she is even though she's still in the process of learning. The way she's dressed is also very childish which many of my students would relate to and connections would be made. Its a great book!

[Damyrah · Rating 5 out of 5]

"When I was Little," is a very good memoir to read and introduce to children. It refers to a four year old girl and her past as a baby. Most children can relate to almost any and every part of this book. On each page, the author tells about something she did when she was a baby. She shows us her baby sister doing the exact same thing. Then she displays how she does it now that she is a big girl. The illustrations were very detailed and depicted all events in the story well. For example, for painting, she shows her baby sister using her hands to paint. Now that she is older, she has advanced to using a paint brush. This book is great for children to make in text connects with the story.

[Renee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I believe this is a great book for younger readers. The book is easy to read and everyone can relate to the story. This book makes older readers think about their childhood. This book is also good with helping children compare and contrast or do self to text or world. I like how the pictures go with the story so, even if the child couldn't read the story, they can still get the gist of the story. I like how the pictures are vivid with colors and that the pictures were done in paint. This story makes you want to look at old photos of yourself when you were younger.

[Toni Chahine · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I Was Little: A Four-Year-Old's Memoir of Her Youth by Jamie Lee Curtis describes the changes that have taken place over the child's short life. They give examples of how many things have changed from her infancy/toddler stage to her young child stage. Things like how her teeth have grown in, how she is no longer in a crib, how she knows she is a girl, how she now is starting to understand what she can do in the world, how she has a family, etc. Not too sure this book would reach out to young boys, but still a cute story for a little girl.

[Helena Pereira · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s a story about a little 4 year old girl reflecting on her life. Explaining all that she can do now, she feels proud of all that she can accomplish now. This book encourages kids to explore their identity and celebrate their journey thus far. The soft, colorful illustrations express joy and spirit that children will respond to with attention and laughter. I think this is a great book to read and allow children to feel proud of who they are. Celebrating accomplishments has a motivational factor to kids that will serve them well in the future.

[Isaiah Oliver · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book and its purpose. I like the idea of self-reflection, especially at a young age. I think that the idea of a 4 year old going through self-reflection is a bizarre idea to most people, but it makes sense to me. We are usually in a hurry to grow up, but it is important to make sure that we spend time looking at our past and growing from our experiences. The voice I hear when I read this book is the voice of a little girl. The illustrations were colorful and playful. I really enjoyed this book.

[Julie Ontiveros · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has such beautiful illustrates that definitely captures the idea of growing up and being more observant of your surrounding as you grow older. The storyline is very well put together to show how a child is able to recognize that they are growing up over time and actually have knowledge of the morals in life. It’s read in the voice of the young four year old in which you would assume to be a higher pitched voice with maybe not the best pronunciation of words, but that’s what makes the book great!

[Hannahcarlson7875gmail.Com]

This is a fun book, and brings me back to my childhood. I think a lot of children would be able to relate to this lighthearted book. One thing that I would have changed would have been the end, when the girl "knows" who she is. I think that we are constantly changing and evolving as people, and it should have emphasized the idea thats its okay not to know who you are just the fact that you are making progress, doing what you love, and being a nice person.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I had to say there was a Jayme Lee Curtis book I didn’t like it would be this one. The only reason I don’t like this is this no cadence and no rhyming. It is just a story. Jayme Lee Curtis‘s other books I’ll have the cadence. They all rhyme and have a sing-song flow that makes them heartwarming. Because of that knowledge, this book feels like it was something rushed through to meet a deadline rather than something is lovingly crafted like all her other stories.

[Emily Alig · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great story to read to young children. This story is great because it gives the child's point of view and perspective and could be considered a memoir or biography. This is very relate able to young children and they can hear a story from the point of view of someone else who goes through the same things. This book made me laugh, and would be perfect to read to little boys and girls!

[Kendall Evilcizer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book laying around my house, we have had it for years, but I never took the chance to sit down and actually read it. I really enjoyed this book because it shows and tells what young girls go through and do each day. This book would be very great to show the students how baby's are and how they act. The pictures are very great and really show detail throughout the whole book.

[Mary Madison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a memoir of a four year old girl's youth. She talks about all the things she did when she was little, things like wearing floaties. Now she doesn't do those things anymore because she is no longer a baby. This book would be good to read to a toddler that is struggling to get out of the baby phase.