Written by one of our members, Aprilsmom!

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Product Description

April is excited to visit her grandmother, but she has to wait a whole week. So she and her mom keep busy by shopping at the farmers' market, visiting April's dad at work, and eating at the local diner. Over the course of the week, April observes the many differences between herself and the people she encounters. The anticipated weekend with her grandmother finally arrives, and April comes to realize that differences can be beautiful.

An appealing blend of colorful acrylic figures and black-and-white pencil backgrounds highlights the underlying message of the story-visual differences between people are striking, but by looking beyond these differences, we see how similar we really are.

Awards:
-Selected as Outstanding by The Parent Council, Fall 1999
-1999 American Booksellers Association Kids Pick of the Lists
-1999 Read America! Collection
-1999 San Diego Book Awards Best Children's Fiction
-2000 Early Childhood News Directors' Choic! e Award
-Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People for 2000

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #752271 in Books
• Published on: 2001-07
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 32 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781570914904
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Publishers Weekly
No youngster will miss the belabored message of Mitchell's first children's book: though people are different from one another in some ways, basically they are alike. Young April comes to this conclusion as she rides a bus with two children who communicate in sign language, watches a blind woman reading Braille numbers next to an elevator and washes her hands in a rest room alongside a woman in a wheelchair. The author stretches her concept thin with several examples, among them a man beside her at a lunch counter who orders the same meal as hers. Oddly, after painstakingly spelling out how each person is different yet simultaneously the same as [April], in two examples Mitchell pointedly sidesteps the issue of race. Mitchell's art presents another curiosity: though she opens and closes with finely detailed full-color scenes, in the remaining illustrations only the people appear in full color, against black-and-white backgrounds. While the visual effect may focus readers' attention on the individuals in question, kids may well feel cheated?by the absence not only of fully rendered artwork but of a story line as well. All ages.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 3-A sweet dose of bibliotherapy that explores the similarities and differences among people. The story is told from the point of view of a little girl anticipating a visit to her grandmother's house. Every day as she waits, the girl and her mother go on an errand. On each of these trips, the child encounters someone who is different-someone who is either older, speaks another language, has a disability, or is of a different race-but who is doing the same thing she is. Acrylic paints highlight only a few items or people in each of the pen-and-ink illustrations, inviting children to take a closer look while reinforcing the story's point. Tolerance and acceptance are difficult concepts to address for a young audience, and this book does it in a manner that can be applied to a number of situations.
Jane Marino, Scarsdale Public Library, NY
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
This is a wonderful book that celebrates our differences while looking at the common factors people share. As a girl goes through a week, she meets a deaf girl, a blind woman, a woman in a wheelchair, African-American and Asian boys, and many other people who are in some way different from her. Yet, in each case, she finds something about them that makes them just like her. In the end, the girl compares the people she met to the flowers in her grandmother's garden. The differences, she concludes, are what make them beautiful.--S.F. --Booksellers This Week

April thinks about the folks she has seen all week, and "like the flowers in Grammie’s garden, they were all .... -- Booklist

Overall this is a thoughtful and attractive presentation of a meaningful subject which will be of interest to elementary age .... -- Independent Publisher

This is a wonderful book that celebrates our differences while looking at the common factors people share. -- Booksellers This Week

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Customer Reviews

A great discussion starter for difficult topics
When I first read Different Just Like Me I thought to myself, "What a wonderful book and what a great way to begin discussions in my classroom about respecting each others' differences". Never did I dream that this book would have the impact it had on my third grade class.The converstaions that were stimulated by this book were phenomenal! I was so impressed by how the book was able to open the door to the difficult topic of differences and acceptance. Children began to share their own experiences of times they felt left out or different. Children spoke about times when they felt uncomfortable around someone who was different then they were and they were unsure of how to handle that. I learned that my students had so many questions. They had finally found a safe opportunity to begin asking these questions. The children continued to refer to the book and make textual connectionns with this book throughout the year. It was obvious that the story had made a big impact on the children. Besides teaching a third grade class I also teach the Mainstreaming class for teachers at San Diego State University. I have reccommended this book to many teachers in the class as an avenue to begin the discussion about diversity in the classroom. I have heard such positive results from many of the teachers about how helpful it was to start the discussion with this book.

Absolutely outstanding book for all kid's self-esteem
I purchased this book for my six-year old daughter after a friend so highly recommended it. We both just LOVE it! The concept of not only accepting but celebrating everyone's own individuality is exactly what we try to teach our own daughter. The text is easy to understand, but doesn't talk down to kids. The unique black and white illustrations with only the people in color just reinforces the similarity of all these different people. Your eye is not distracted by the background. It focuses immediately on the individuals that the main character, April, comes in contact with. My daughter, who is about April's age, constantly asks questions as to why people are different colors, sizes & shapes, in wheelchairs, blind etc. She is fascinated by these differences. Ms. Mitchell's book does such a beautiful job of presenting these differences but also pointing out the numerous similarities as well. The highlight for me was when my daughter proudly announced she could "sign" her name using sign language she learned while reading the book in bed one night.

I think it is an absolutely beautiful book with such a loving message. I can't wait to tell my friends about it. We now eagerly await Ms. Mitchell's next book.

Essential reading for all teachers and their students!
Every teacher works with students who feel different in one aspect or another. This book touches the heart of all of these children and gives them new confidence. My class loved it and felt the message!