#simplydifferentkidlit

It’s Okay to Be Different

Written and illustrated by: Todd Parr

Publish date: April 2009

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

Summary/About the author: Todd Parr lives in Berkley, California with his three adopted pitbulls. He has created over 40 different children’s books. He has been on the New York Times Bestseller list several different times for his ability to write stories that relate to anyone. Todd created this book with an abundance of color and several types of people. It shows the reader it is okay to be different. Todd Parr has a great website dedicated to all the things he loves; charities, his family life, literacy and showing the world it is okay to be who you are.

Illustrations: The illustrations in this book are much like all other Todd Parr books. Each page is bright. Each page is colorful, it reflects real life people “It is okay to be missing a tooth (or two or three.)” “It is okay to have wheels.” “It is okay to have two moms or two dads.” With each turning page, the illustrations create a safe space for the reader. As I read along, I could see myself or someone I knew in each page without hesitation. I could relate to each character.

Reflection: My reason for choosing this book for my “character with disabilities” theme is because of all the different character described in this book. They are not your typical character, the characters do not conform to “norms” of one stereotype. There are characters with physical differences, disabilities, unusual pets, progressive family lifestyles and even ones who make mistakes. Reading this story to my students with special needs; they are all able to find themselves when reading this book. I know each one of them can make a personal connection to a page in this book. While following Todd Parr on instagram, he made a challenge to his followers; asking them to tag themselves in one of the books he wrote that could be most relative to them. When scrolling through the feed, the majority of the followers chose; It’s Okay to Be Different.

Classroom Application: K-2 grades. When presenting this book to my students, I asked them to listen to the story and find a page they were able to relate to the most. Asking them to recreate the page in their own way. I posed the question, “what if Mr. Parr needed more pages to his book? Let’s create more pages that are different.” My kids loved this. They all made different pages; some included their own disabilities. A few examples included; “It’s okay to have never met your mom.” “It is okay to have glasses.” “It is okay to have a feeding tube.” “It is okay to be black and white at the same time.” All things that made them different but it’s “okay.” As a celebration at the end, we watched the tv show made after the characters from this story and the story line. 

We’re All Wonders

Written and illustrated by: R.J. Palacio

Publish date: March 2017

Publisher: Random House Children’s Books

Summary: Auggie Pullman and his sidekick Daisy (a black and yellow dog) share adventures throughout a big city. Auggie is a boy who likes ice cream, riding his bike and play ball but he is far from ordinary. He does not look like other kids, which causes him to be very different. He has a physical disability versus something internal.

Illustrations: The illustrations in this book are bright and culturally responsive. There are children with headscarves, african americans, girls with purple hair, freckles, and glasses. When the written text is talking about something uncomfortable for Auggie, there is a change from the bright colors to black swirls or more blank white to the page. The mood changes with the text. The author uses large text to explain something exciting or BIG. She also puts the text in a variety of different places along the pages. This makes for a friendly book for all ages.

Reflection: After reading Wonder, I found this book to be the abridged version for children. It teaches the reader that not everyone looks the same. The difference in appearance can be difficult to understand and hurtful if not respected.

“But some people don’t see that I’m a wonder. All they see is how different I look. Sometimes they stare at me. They point or laugh. They even say mean things behind my back. But I can hear them.”

For a younger audience, I think this book is perfect to teach how to be kind to others. I like that the author created this book for a contrasting crowd, related to Wonder.

I love Saturdays y domingos

Written by: Alma Flor Ada

Illustrated by: Elivia Savadier

Publication date: 2002

Antheneum Books for Young Readers

Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing

Summary: A young girl describes her weekends spent with her two sets of grandparents, both from two very different cultures, but share common bonds in things she does with each set. The comparisons and similarities draw the reader into the wonderful story of a love for the weekends with two sets of loving grandparents.

Illustrators illustrations: The illustrator has a fabulous way of finding details to foster the written text. Each page explodes with color. The two different cultures mesh together. In reference to the pages about the Grandfather’s or “Abuelito’s” one Grandfather shows the young girl his aquarium and the other brings her to the seashore. Both pictures have detail, pulling the reader into the story, almost like watching through a window.

Author’s Writing: In my school district, there is a high population of native spanish speakers. The author using both English and Spanish text to recite the story. For instance, when counting, the author uses English and Spanish to compare across pages. When describing the Grandmother’s, the author uses both languages “Grandma has a tabby cat. Her name is Taffy.” In similarity, she uses Spanish too, “Abuelita has a dog. His name is Canelo.” The setup of how the author tells the story is fun and predictable. Children know what to expect as they read. Teachers can use this predictability to their advantage!