Brief Annotation: This creative and lively story delivers an important message of social acceptance to young learners and readers. Friendship, acceptance, self-esteem, and diversity are promoted and celebrated through simple and easy to understand prose. The illustrations present within this story are vivid and captivating, as they display children’s activities for all cultures, such as hugging, catching butterflies, eating birthday cake, and so on. Overall, this picture book allows teachers and students to converse about important social concepts, such as acceptance associated with diversity, with each other.
Grade Level: K-6
Reader who will like this: Creative students would thoroughly enjoy this story due to the vivid illustrations and language used throughout. Furthermore, this story is relatable for all students, as various skin colors are represented and celebrated. English Learners in particular may respond well to this story, as it shows and discusses how not one human being is or looks the same, yet we are all unified in humanity.
Rating/Response: 5 – This book could easily be used as a read aloud, but readers, even low readers, would be able to get through this vivacious text. The illustrations represent the diverse skin colors present within humanity in a unique and child-friendly manner. English Learners, even with limited English proficiency, would be able to understand this text, as the illustrations are highly supportive of the written concepts.
One question you would ask before a read aloud: What does it mean to be the same? What does it mean to be different? How are we, in our own classroom, the same or different and why?
Reading Strategy: Important Ideas
Rationale for Strategy: It is highly important for students to be accepting and nonjudgemental in regards to each other. I feel as though reading this story about skin color would set the tone and further improve classroom community.
Posted by: Emma Henke