Papa Small by Lois Lenski

When I first opened and read this book I felt like it was one of those sarcastic-but-true parodies of modern life. Then I realized it wasn't. Upon further investigation I realized that this book was written in 1951 during a peak time of traditional family roles. Ha ha. Poor Mama Small. There's a reason her and Papa small are sitting what looks to be inches but in all actuality is probably feet apart.

The story starts out with an introduction to the Small family. They have a dog and a read house and approximately 3 children (Baby Small is pictured very gender-neutrally so it could be either he or she).

It then starts to get pretty intense. Papa Small goes to work everyday (his face is turned in the picture so the reader cannot see the huge smile that must be depicted on his face). Mama Small is then pictured trying to tame the chaotic mess the house has become (probably over the weekend while they were out and about). Mama Small has to cook the meals (while the baby is throwing junk all over the floor)  while Paul Small brings out all of the crooked cutlery (which I'm sure used to be Mama's finest before it got destroyed and bent up) and Polly Small sets the table. Mama looks kind of evil standing over the oven (with wavy heat lines coming up- she's probably so mad looking because her day has been super chaotic and she had to do all of the crazy work around her house and then stand over the hot stove to cook).

When Papa Small comes home he is greeted like the coming of the second Messiah. (Note- Mama Small neither waves goodbye or greets Papa Small, I wonder....)

After dinner Papa Small gets to sit and "watch the baby" with his feet up and read the paper (because he HAS worked all day) while Mama Small has to wash the dishes with the help of her loving children Paul and Polly (who I'm sure did their share of bickering and or dish dropping).

On Mondays when Papa Small comes home he helps Mama Small and hangs the laundry on the line (Note- Mama Small is depicted as washing the laundry with one of those old-fashioned wringer washers so I'm quite sure that Papa Small is really helping her out by hanging up that pesky laundry).

On Tuesdays Mama Small irons the clothes. And what does Papa do? Why, he tries them on, that's what he does. (What a helper!)

Because Papa Small likes to help around the house so much, on Wednesday he hangs up a picture for Mama. (Note- I think that a women who is capable of running a household alone, cooking, cleaning and operating a ringer-washer is more than able to get a step-ladder, a hammer and a nail and hang up one picture. Who does Papa think that he is fooling when he's being such a help?)

On Thursday Papa Small has to fix the kitchen sink. Which is a novel thing. But all three of the Small children are depicted lined up at the edge of the kitchen counter (with Mama Small hovering behind to check up on Papa Small and contain the little Smalls). A couple of thoughts ran through my head in this scene. Firstly, if Papa Small is fixing the sink, what is he doing with a saw, a butter knife and a file? Secondly, if Papa Small regularly fixed things around the house I doubt it would be such a big deal to the little Smalls and Mama Small, so I'm guessing that not only does Papa Small NOT know what he is doing with the kitchen sink, but Mama Small also knows this and not only does she have to watch the kids while he screws up the sink, but she is either telling him what to do or could do it much better than Papa Small. This is why all of the Little Smalls are lined up so precisely because Papa Small is short on his patience due to his ineffective mechanical skills and Mama Small's belittling comments and is ready to snap at the first kid who gets in his space while he's trying to work.



Friday seems to be the only day of the week that gives Mama Small more rest than work (while Papa Small cuts the grass and a disgruntled looking Paul Small gets to rake it up)

On Saturdays the Small family does the shopping. OR really, Papa Small runs ahead with Baby Small in the cart and Mama Small with her two helpers, Paul and Polly, frantically try to remember everything that they are supposed to be buying while trying to keep up with Papa Small's fast pace. Mama Small makes him carry the baby and an extra bag of groceries (which suspiciously is a closed brown bag that resembles a large bottle of bagged liquor) in return for his "help" grocery shopping.


They all do gardening.

On Sundays they go to church, but of course, when the baby cries Mama Small has to leave. At home Papa "helps" cook dinner but does present it to the family (in reality he probably added something to boiling water and the was all the "helping" that happened). When they go for a car ride later on in the afternoon, Mama is jammed in the back of the car probably because she was so irate with Papa Small that she didn't want to sit in front with him.

At night, Mama gets all of the beds ready after putting Baby Small to bed while Papa Small gets to read a bedtime story to Paul and Polly (aka hang out in a comfy chair while wifey does yet more work).

I wonder what the Smalls would look like within a modern context,  if they weren't such a good example of the traditional nuclear family?

This really is a great little book and a good example of how household roles have changed in the past 60 years.

Random House, 1951.