'Small had a problem. She was stuck in Big's shadow.' In the beginning of this picture book we don't meet 'Big', but it is obvious that these are two little girls, one of whom is the older, the bouncier, the faster, who gets the best presents and who sometimes tries to scare Small. When Big threatens to cut up Small's teddy (this seen in shadows on the wall), Small gets even by letting Big's parrot out of his cage. She is ashamed of her behaviour and decides to run away. In the process, she sees Big sitting under a tree - a tree into which her parrot has flown. This is the first time we actually see Big, who looks quite ordinary and very sad. It is Small who is brave enough to climb the tree and retrieve the parrot, and then she feels BIG and happy. After that, she and her sister can be equal friends. The rather bizarre situation of a small girl climbing a tree to rescue a parrot seems quite all right in the context of this rather delicate picture book. Shadows are important; parents aren't. It is the two children who must work out their problems together so there is no need to meet anyone else.