Yang Liu. Big meets Little

CONTENT SUMMARY

I Was Once like You Are Now
A striking exploration of childhood, parenting, and our evolving perspectives

As children, the world is our playground, our parents are both almighty heroes and merciless adversaries, and our homes are the territories where big and small battle for dominance. As adults, we lament the innocence, boundless wonder, and simple pleasures of childhood.

In this fourth installment of Yang Liu’s best-selling pictogram series, the award-winning designer encapsulates the delights and debacles of family life with her characteristic measure of wit. Combining minimal infographics with incisive and touching observations about human nature, the crisp pictorials draw upon Liu’s Chinese heritage; as in traditional calligraphy, the simpler the depiction, the deeper-seated the truth that is expressed.

With graphic precision, Big meets Little takes on the daily happenings of a family home by visually pairing the perspectives of grown-ups and our tiny counterparts. Simultaneously humorous and honest, Liu distills the parenting narrative into bite-sized, insightful lessons. Over 128 pages, the clothbound volume cleverly contrasts the reality of parenthood with the glossy family portraits we’re often sold—though not without a dose of tongue-in-cheek humor.