What If We Were All The Same!

by C.M. Harris

What If We Were All The Same! is a children's book that embraces the beautiful differences we all have in relation to height, hair type, abilities and much more. Perfect for non-readers, early readers and children of all ages. What kind of world would we be living in if everyone looked the same and did the same things? —- a boring one!

Full of exciting rhymes and colorful illustrations!

The idea of this book is to help children understand that there is nothing wrong with being different. Whether they have red hair or brown hair, green eyes or blue eyes, long legs or short legs, light skin or dark skin, glasses, uses a wheelchair or anything else, it’s absolutely OKAY! Our differences are what makes us unique and if we truly think about it, would you want to be the exact same as someone else?

2nd Edition.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

28 pages, Paperback

Published November 5, 2019

About the author

After graduating college, I spent three years trying to find a job—each interview ending in rejection, often because of my disability. Instead of giving up, I chose to build something of my own. I founded Purple Diamond Press, and today, our award-winning children’s books teach kindness, diversity, and inclusion in schools across the nation. What started as rejection has grown into a mission to inspire the next generation to see every child as capable, valuable, and worthy.

To read more about the author, visit CMHarrisBooks.com

Reviews

[Tayana Taylor (MB) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Text-to- World Connection

This is an amazing book that shows children that it is OKAY to be different. Different is what makes us all unique. As an educator I think it is so critical to help students develop an understanding of the importance of acceptance and friendship. This is a great book that shows and tells a story that is relatable to what is going on in the world. Everyone has differences in terms of height, hair types, skin color, abilities, and so much more. The book excerpt says: "What kind of world would be living in if everyone looked the same and did the same things? A boring one!"

[Glownthedarc · Rating 5 out of 5]

They say not to judge a book by its cover, but this cover caught my eye right away.
It caught my attention, because the cover has a diverse group of children brightly illustrated on it. It includes everyone. Feeling included even when you are different is very important. As I read through C.M. Harris' book, I enjoyed it so much, because all children can relate to looking different and being different than others in one way or many. Sometimes it is scary as a child to feel different, but this book reminds us that our differences make us unique. Our unique traits is what make us special!

[Khansa Baig · Rating 5 out of 5]

What if We Were All the Same is a wonderful book to teach the importance of inclusion and diversity. A fabulous book that teachers can use to read to their kids at the beginning of the year. From our skin colour, interests, hair type and abilities, our differences make life interesting and unique.

A wonderful positive message that encourages everyone to accept and embrace our unique qualities and our differences. A good reminder for children and adults of all ages.

[Nikki Kendall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly, before I read this book I was skeptical of the title itself, because we are not all the same. We are all different in a special way. This adapted my thinking, in a good way with a unique perspective. It shows a universal message that accepts our differences and that we are beautiful just the way we are. I would love to read this in a read-aloud with my class to spread positivity.

[Skyla Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is great for a classroom when talking about students differences. The entire book talks about how if everything was the same the world would be so awful but since everyone is so different it makes the world such a great place. it talks about the different features, abilities, and personalities of people. It is very important to explain and help students understand their differences and accept each other for who they are and what they look like. the very last line is the best one in the whole book, it says, "You're beautiful face can't be replaced, and all our differences should be embraced" ! Like how amazing is that; to show kids that they should all be embraced for exactly who they are is such an important lesson for them and it really helps boost their self esteem and self respect. Such an amazing book to show differences; would definitely use in my classroom!

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Talks about how boring the world would be if we were all the same. This book is all about embracing our individualities and being proud of our unique characteristics and abilities as well as being inclusive too all people. I would use this in the classroom to encourage students to embrace their unique qualities and have children share with one another something they are proud of that makes them different and special.

[Danica Dickerson · Rating 5 out of 5]

"What If We Were All The Same" was an engaging story for primary aged children that can be used for multiple lessons! It paints a beautiful picture about how everyone brings something different to the table, whether it be looks or abilities. This book discusses abilities and strengths with pictures that are very diverse in many ways including skin tone and children with disabilities. This is great for primary aged students, as you can use it to teach rhyming, vocabulary and simple identification, size, and counting. Most importantly, it can be used to teach social emotional skills such as kindness, acceptance, and confidence. I love how the ending asks the reader, "What makes you, you?" to initiate fun and necessary conversation.

[Pryce Caulder · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book because it is relatable to young children. There are so many great books that talk about the differences among people but the fact that the author brings in foods and animals to show that they have differences, too makes it even more relatable. The use of rhyming words makes the book flow. I also like how the author throws in some bigger words that young children may not have been exposed to yet such as uninviting, abilities, unsuitable, embraced, etc. This gives the teacher the opportunity to define and explain these bigger words in a way that the children will understand. I would definitely recommend this book to older preschoolers or younger primary-grade children. It teaches such a good lesson and does a great job of doing so!

[PACL · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great reminder that being different is the best! The author gets candid and shares how she suffered from bullying as a child due to some medical issues. This upbeat, beautiful, diverse book highlights differences and reminds kids it's good to be different. Such a great message.

This book is gorgeous, by the way. The illustrations and the cover! I love the extra touch of class the author added with the shiny treatment on the book cover and bonus stickers inside.

Thank you, C.M. Harris, for helping build Parenting Across Color Line's "Little Diverse Library"! As a parent and teacher of multicultural students, it's SO great to see a book featuring and written by a BIPOC author.

[Beaches and Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

What If We Were All The Same by author C.M. Harris is a wonderful full book that teaches kids the importance of inclusion. I adore the cover with the incredibly diverse group of children. This is a very sweet book with an important message that would be a wonderful book to read to a classroom or to your own children. Loved the bright illustrations as well!

[Jesse Chang · Rating 5 out of 5]

This colorful book an important reminder that every individual is unique. And we are all different, just like everyone else. The writing is written in a fun manner and the pictures are awesome! Great book for kids.

[Megan McCarthy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Title: “What if We Were All The Same?”
Author: C.M Harris
Illustrator: Eric Everett
Genre: fictional children’s literature
Theme(s): Picture book with racially diverse characters with an authentic representationof their culture.
Opening line/sentence: “What if everything were exactly the same…”
Brief Book Summary: A beautiful book teaching children that the things that make us different are all unique and wonderful. Accepting ourselves and others around us for making the world around us full of variety, because who would want to be exactly the same as everything around them
Response to Two Professional Reviews:
-Readers' Favorite- 5 Star Review and The Mom's Choice Awards rate this book as a phenomenal way of introducing self -love to our children through beautifully illustrated pages and an upbeat story to send a warm message to children who often want to be something different from who they are. Also, they noted it to be a good starter book for children who are learning to read on their own!
Framework:
Like(s): It introduces diversity to young children as such an easy concept, as it should be! Being different is a trait that everyone in the world possesses, so it should be celebrated exactly how this book celebrates it.
Patterns(s): repetition of rhyming words and concept message.
Puzzle(s): “What if’s”
Consideration of Instructional Application:
During story time after each page questions “What it ___ was all the same?” Going around to each child and interactively asking them their choice of answer to the topic… highlighting that each answer is different and the beauty of each answer. For example, each of their favorite food, or what color each of their homes are.

[Kylee Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a children's book about everything being the same such as our houses, cars, food, mindset, etc.. It also talked about how all people are different, we come from different families, backgrounds, look different, and that we are all beautiful no matter how we look. The book has images of children of different skin colors and backgrounds holding hands and being friendly with each other. If children can be accepting of other people that are not the same as them, why can't adults do that? The quote on the last page says " Your beautiful face can't be replaced, and all you differences should be embraced". I love this quote because it says that people should love themselves for who they are even if they look different than someone. This book can be used in a classroom for a diversity lesson. Learning from a young age that you should treat everyone with respect and not be rude if the person acts or looks different than you. That is a hard lesson to learn for younger students, but knowing how to treat people and love yourself for being different is the main goal of the book. I want my students to not care how they look and love everyone for what they bring into this world. I do think it will be a harder task to teach younger students, but it is a topic I am willing to tackle and learn more about for my students.

[Sue Loh · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s no surprise this book has won awards. It’s a great message about the value of our differences. It mentions various ways we all differ from each other. It ends with a reminder that none of us should feel sad about the ways we’re different from others. The artwork is high-quality.

I’m not a great fan of books that rhyme; the rhyming in this book is OK but the meter is a little awkward in places. Overall nothing too bad.

If I had one wish to take this book from good to great, it’d be this: I wish it drew a little more on our empathy. It’s one thing to say “everyone has value.” It’s another to make us think about people who receive messages to the contrary, and how we can help those people. Kids who’ve been feeling bad about themselves would resonate better with a character in their same situation. Kids who’ve been unaware of other people’s situations would learn to watch for those situations and help out.

I like to end book reviews with a summary of who’d be the best audience for the book. In this case, this is a good book for all young kids. It is probably targeted slightly more at kids who’ve felt excluded. But the kids who’ve never felt excluded should hear these messages too.

[Teyanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book talks about the fact that we are all different and unique, and that's what makes us all special. If we were all the same, our houses and cars and food and and clothes were all the same, things would be very boring. Our differences aren't something to be ashamed or embarrassed about, because it's what makes things fun.

The books is simple and sweet. It represents equality and how diversity is needed within society. The pages aren't too thick, but the colors on the illustrations are bold and vibrant. The text is clear in font and in various parts on the pages. The illustrations differ between pages, in the sense that some cover the whole page and some are just small and in one spot. This is book is needed in the world, and in society. It benefits kids in the sense that it lets them know that it's okay to be different, and that you shouldn't judge yourself or anyone else for it.

[StoryTimeReadAloud · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a parent, I've said this a lot and in a classroom we've had to say this a lot too. "What if we were all the same?" This book asks what if we all had the same houses, the same cars, what if we could only eat beets? It celebrates the differences in the animal kingdom and then differences in kids--that there are different hairtstyles, different bodytypes, different interests.

I love that there is this book to go along with that question. And that alone is fantastic. But the text is fine, with rhymes and and little lessons but it can feel a little plodding. Still, gets the message, so wonderful. The illustrations are also just a "meh" in my opinion. The colors are bright and we see all kinds of people and kids represented (great) but the art doesn't feel special to me in any way. It feels simple and more coloring book-like, with a "click and fill" look to me.

[Nina Fallo · Rating 5 out of 5]

What If We Were All The Same by C.M. Harris is a great book to read to children of all ages. This story is very inclusive and can teach students that being different isn't a bad thing. Throughout the story the author depicts what it would be like if everyone in the world had everything the same and looked the same. She later goes on to discuss that differences are okay and make each and every one of us unique. No matter what your skin, hair, height, weight, etc. looks like, everyone is beautiful in their own way. Overall, this book is a great read and can teach students that if we were all the same, it'd be boring; our differences are what make us beautiful and unique.

[Rosa Portillo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a great book to bring students together and telling them that different is okay!! The book talks about how boring it. would be if everything was the same. She compares animals and places to show kids that everything is different and that is okay because it adds some fun into the world! The book also talks about embracing our individualities and being proud of our unique characteristics and it's okay to be different from everyone else. Your flaws can be someone else's desires. I would highly recommend this book to anybody because it will help people with insecurities and be secure about themselves!!

[Marissa Cantrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book for children of all ages about celebrating differences and uniqueness. It has catchy rhymes on each page and really does a good job of discussing all the ways humans can be different from each other, and why it would be boring if everyone was the same. It ends with a great message about looking in the mirror and embracing "your beautiful face," while encouraging children to think about their own uniqueness. I gave it 4 stars because it is well-written and has a great message, but the illustrations are small on the page and not very detailed/engaging.

[Erin O'Halloran · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book teaches kids about the beauty of diversity and why our differences make the world a better place. It encourages young readers to appreciate what makes each person unique. This book would be perfect for starting conversations about diversity and kindness. It could help kids understand why it's important to accept and celebrate each other's differences. After reading, I could have students talk about what makes them special, helping them feel proud of who they are while learning to appreciate others.

[Randy]

This book focuses on diversity and pointing out the fact that the world wouldn't be any fun if we were all the same. We should view diversity and differences as a thing that makes the world work.

This book would be good for a classroom because we know that most classrooms will be diverse and this book would should how diversity encourages acceptance of others and how to treat those who are different than us with kindness and respect.

[Zandalee Fowler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book about telling kids that it's okay to be different. Not everyone is the same, you will see people with all different characteristics. Short hair/long hair, blue eyes/ brown eyes. But it doesn't matter what you look like you should treat each other the same. I highly recommend this book for younger kids to know that it's okay to be different.

[MaKenzie Dow]

I thought this book would be a great book to incorporate for a younger age level. When you are young you wonder why you look different than some people and this book really explains that it just makes people unique. Different is good and different is exciting. I would incorporate this into a kindergarten classroom to read aloud at the beginning of the year.

[Courtney Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a perfect way to introduce diversity to small children. It is so well written and you can tell that the author is writing from experience. She shares her personal story at the back of the book. My favorite part of the book in what I have written in the headline. It really gives you a new way to think about how important it is to have "different" in our lives.

[Hailey Underwood]

This particular children's book embraces the beautiful differences in which we all have in relation to our size and height, even are hair type, as well as our abilities to do certain tasks. This book is great for non-readers, even the early readers.

[Haylee Baldwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love books that express that we should all love and respect each other’s differences. We are not all supposed to be the same and if we were, would it be better? I think this would be great in the classroom, such a great find!

[Faith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book I would love to have in my classroom! It is super simple to read, it rhymes, and has the cutest pictures. I think it is a great way to address how differences are what make us unique and it ties in real world things such as food and animals before discussing people.

[Zaria Higginbothan]

I like this book as an addition to my future classroom because it shows that everything and everyone is different, but we all come together as one. This book shows that no matter how different we look we should be happy with ourselves.

[Kayla Dubuque · Rating 5 out of 5]

This boom talks about different types of people and it spreads diversity well throughout the book. This would be a great book to read to students, so they can know that it’s okay to be different and that everyone is unique and special in there own way!

[Carole G. Barton · Rating 5 out of 5]

“What if we were all the Same!” Is a beautiful picture book by C.M. Harris and illustrated by Ashlynn Feather. While a picture book, this strong message is so needed for all ages. Being unique is good. We can all learn from each other. I highly recommend this book.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️