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WE'RE MORE ALIKE THAN DIFFERENT

Name: WE'RE MORE ALIKE THAN DIFFERENT
Author: Sophia Day
ISBN: 978-1-64370-761-7

CELEBRATE! DIVERSITY

From the Celebrate! series

by Sophia Day & Megan Johnson ; illustrated by Stephanie Strouse ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 7, 2019

Well-intentioned but far more prescriptive than engaging.

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One in a series meant to help educators and caregivers help kids be their best.

This volume features a group of diverse children (collectively referred to as the MVP kids and named only in backmatter) of different races, abilities, and religious backgrounds. As they interact, the rhyming text affirms and values their diversity, but it neither delivers a story nor develops characterization. “There are many ways we’re different— / How we look, play, talk, or eat, / what we’re good at, what we like, / or how we move along the street,” reads the text on one spread, with others homing in on specific scenarios. The accompanying illustrations resemble animation stills but are notably stiff, even when children (all illustrated with ungainly, disproportionately large heads) are depicted in active scenes, such as one of a child using a rollator while playing freeze tag with children who have no visible disabilities. Backmatter offers “Helpful Teaching Tips” to encourage observational speech as opposed to judgmental comments and questions (eschewing “(not) normal” for “(not) typical,” for example), and it advocates listening to others’ preferences when describing differences (for example, perhaps adjusting phrasing to refer to “a child with autism” as opposed to saying a child “is autistic”). Companion titles Counting Critters, Treasured Wisdom, and The Way We’re Made feature the MVP kids learning about number sense, respect for elders and their knowledge, and self-esteem, respectively.

Well-intentioned but far more prescriptive than engaging. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: May 7, 2019

ISBN: 978-1-64370-761-7

Page Count: 36

Publisher: Real MVP Kids

Review Posted Online: March 2, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2019

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
STAND TOGETHER AGAINST BULLYING
by Sophia Day & Kayla Pearson illustrated by Timmy Zowada

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

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Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.

The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: June 21, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
A PERFECT PLACE TO PLAY
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Jim Valeri

- BOOK REVIEW
ON THE FIRST DAY OF FIRST GRADE
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Sarah Jennings

- BOOK REVIEW
FIVE LITTLE BUNNIES
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Dan Yaccarino

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IT'S NOT EASY BEING A GHOST

From the It's Not Easy Being series

by Marilyn Sadler ; illustrated by Stephanie Laberis ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 13, 2024

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.

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A ghost longs to be scary, but none of the creepy personas she tries on fit.

Misty, a feline ghost with big green eyes and long whiskers, wants to be the frightening presence that her haunted house calls for, but sadly, she’s “too cute to be spooky.” She dons toilet paper to resemble a mummy, attempts to fly on a broom like a witch, and howls at the moon like a werewolf. Nothing works. She heads to a Halloween party dressed reluctantly as herself. When she arrives, her friends’ joyful screams reassure her that she’s great just as she is. Sadler’s message, though a familiar one, is delivered effectively in a charming, ghostly package. Misty truly is too precious to be frightening. Laberis depicts an endearingly spooky, all-animal cast—a frog witch, for instance, and a crocodilian mummy. Misty’s sidekick, a cheery little bat who lends support throughout, might be even more adorable than she is. Though Misty’s haunted house is filled with cobwebs and surrounded by jagged, leafless trees, the charming characters keep things from ever getting too frightening. The images will encourage lingering looks. Clearly, there’s plenty that makes Misty special just as she is—a takeaway that adults sharing the book with their little ones should be sure to drive home.

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet. (Picture book. 4-6)