Different Just Like Me

by Lori Mitchell

People come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and colors. Young April discovers this fact on a visit to her grandparents' home and learns the visual differences between people are striking, but by looking beyond that, she sees how similar they really are. Full-color illustrations.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Disability, Cultural, Juvenile, Realistic Fiction

Library Binding

First published February 1, 1999

Reviews

[Mackenzie]

Different Just Like Me, by Lori Michell
This was a sweet book about a girl named April who is excited about visiting her grandmother. She has one week before then, and in the meantime, she encounters a lot of different people. Some in a wheelchair, some who are blind, some who are from different cultures. She realizes that they are different just like she is, which is what makes everyone so special and unique, like a bundle of different flowers. The language in this book is perfect for all grade levels. The author/illustrator does a great job detailing pictures and even incorporating brail for students to feel. This book is very culturally diverse. Each encounter she has is with someone new, someone different than she. I think this book paints a picture that even if you seem or sound different, we all have similarities as well. I think students will enjoy reading this book as it gives real life situations of where you would meet new people with all kinds of differences. It is a great way to expose children to a diverse group of people in one short book.

[jason wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just read this to my daughter and I loved it!
What a awesome beautiful book.

[Amanda Cummings · Rating 5 out of 5]

I gave this book 5 stars because I love how it teaches children about different people.
A girl named April is visiting her grandmother. As she is waiting for the day she encounters all sorts of different people. She talks about people being similar to flowers. She explains the like flowers people have different needs, come in many colors, shapes, and sizes.

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

April in anticipation for an upcoming visit to her grandmother's house spends the week prior, noticing how people around her are different in how they look, talk and live, while doing some of the activities that she does.

[Deonna Hankerson]

This story is about a little girl who does different things each day with her mom. Each place they went she noticed how different people were from her. She liked that they were different but still doing all the normal things just as she was.

[Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is about a girl that goes out and notices the differences everyone has but she also sees the similarities and the beauty everyone has because their differences make them unique. I think this book would be a good read aloud to show students everyone is different and that is okay.

[Moon Captain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this on shift. I liked it.

[Brianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

"When we came to our stop, I waved goodbye to the girl, and she waved back, just like me."

This fictional children's picture book is narrated by April, who is going to visit her Grammie on a Friday. However, the week that leads up to visiting Grammie proves to be rather eventful. April meets a girl on a bus that speaks sign language and visits the market where there are tons of people of all sizes, shapes, and colors who speak different languages. She meets a blind woman on the elevator who reads Braille and meets a lady who loves drawing. She meets a man who likes turkey sandwiches and milk just as much as she does, and she runs into a woman in a wheelchair in the restroom. All week long, April meets a host of people, but what she discovers is that all of these different people share things in common with her. They are all different, but they are just like her. The author depicts a story that many children can relate to, visiting their grandparents. She uses language that is simple for most children to understand, and the illustrator uses images that are related to the text. The author also introduces new concepts that children can learn: sign language, Braille, and having disabilities. These concepts would be great to introduce to students and teach literacy through them. For example, children are learning a new method of communication and language with sign language and Braille. This could be implemented into a reading and/or writing center for students to learn new ways of communicating with one another, and it could also be implemented at a computer center if programs are available to teach these concepts. The book teaches cultural awareness, acceptance of others, as well as self-awareness and self-confidence. Therefore, it serves a great tool to use in the classroom.

[Cheryl P · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a story about diversity, celebrating the differences in people, and realizing even with differences, we are all similar in some way. In this story, a little girl is preparing to go to her Grandmother’s house. The story begins on Sunday, but the girl is not going to her Grandmother’s until Friday. Each day of the week, the girl and her mother run errands. As they run errands they meet all different kinds of people. They meet a girl who is deaf, people who speak a different language, a woman who is blind, and a woman in a wheel chair. At the same time, she is finding similarities. A woman likes to draw just like she does, a man orders a turkey sandwich just like she does, and a friend runs fast just like she does. Finally, she is at her Grandmother’s house where there are flowers of many different colors and sizes. The girl realizes that people are like flowers. They come in many different colors, shapes and sizes, but when you can see past the differences, you will notice how similar they really are. The writing traits I identified with this book are ideas and organization. The main idea, diversity, is very clear in this book, but what was very subtle is the idea that we are all similar. The author uses the days of the week to organize and move us through the story, i.e. on Monday, on Tuesday, etc. I would definitely use this book as a mentor text for the organization writing trait. I would also use this book for all ages in talking about diversity. The book does a nice job demonstrating people can be different but also have similarities.

[Claudia · Rating 3 out of 5]

(CIP) While preparing for a visit to her grandmother, a young girl notices that, like the flowers in Grammie's garden, people who are different from one another also share similarities and it's okay to like them all the same.

(Claudia) On a series of trips during the course of a week, a little white girl notices children and adults who are different from her in some ways, but also “just like me” in other respects. Deaf children using sign language wave goodbye, multi-cultural shoppers all like shopping at the farmers’ market, a woman in a wheelchair dries her hands …
"just like me.” The illustrations are black and white, with only the people in color, until full-color is used for a visit to Grandmother’s garden. The message is clear, but communicated with plenty of visual and descriptive interest to interest a young reader. Gr. K-3

(SLJ) A sweet dose of bibliotherapy … 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.

(PW) No youngster will miss the belabored message … [and] kids may well feel cheated--by the absence not only of fully rendered artwork but of a story line as well.

[Elizabeth]

I was definitely worried that this book was going to be terrible, but it's actually basically fine.

The protagonist notices the ways in which various people she encounters are just like her on some dimension -- sometimes mentioning a way the person is different from her (which is not always a disability but can include her father's co-worker, who is an adult while she is a child) sometimes leaving it to the reader to perceive the difference in the illustrations (like the woman in a wheelchair, or a boy with darker skin than she has).

I also appreciated the ethnic etc. diversity that showed up in the crowd scenes beyond whatever specific difference was being textually highlighted.

The author wrote the book after her daughter developed vitiligo, so I was disappointed that the illustrations didn't make more clear that the protagonist has vitiligo.

[Hiedi · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is written using wonderful children's language but yet encourages children to ask questions about things they may not have had previous experience with. It talks about simple things like foods and how people have different preferences. It then carries on about other social issues such as people with disabilities and people of different races. Throughout the book, the message is that all these things may differ from person to person but how it is not a judgement of character. Just like the title suggests, others are different from you, just as you are different from them, and that's okay.

[Carla]

This book is a social issues book because it can help children understand that everyone is different and that it's okay to be different. In this book, a girl starts noticing that everyone has different skin colors, are different sizes, some are even in wheelchairs or blind. She realizes that, just like flowers, no two people are the same but they are all beautiful. This book could lead to a good class discussion or writing assignment about how people are all different than them and how everyone has something in common.

[Janine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this book when looking for something to share with kindergartners about diversity / disability. There is a national organization that uses the motto "we are more alike than different" and that is the message I want to share with these children. I had high hopes for this book based on the title and brief description, but in reading it found that while each page sends a good message, the overall product is a lot for a kindergarten audience.

[Kiana Sims]

This is a cute book to have on your classroom library shelf. I would also read this around the first few days of school so that children know to be accpeting and tolereant of one another, despite any differences they may have. The little girl in the book has a visual impairment so it would be good if you had a student with the same or similar impairments.

[Robert J · Rating 2 out of 5]

Different Just Like Me is about a young girl with vitiligo. On the way to visit her Grandmother she notices lots of people who are different from her and yet in each case they have something in common. The book is nothing special but would be very useful if you have a child who has vitiligo or knows someone who does.

[Rocheal Hoffman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic children's book! Self-discovery, allows children unique opportunity to look within and accept themselves. Speaks of deafness, wheelchairs, etc., and even has Braille within on one page! Love love love!!

[Alyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

-kindergarten or first grade
-positive message about all types of differences between people
-Main character is a white female though
-doesn't use the words handicapped or disabled
-emphasis that differnet is good

[Ebone Cooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is a good social and emotional book for young children to discuss differences and possible people that have special needs. It also addresses that we have commonalities in our differences, which shows that we aren't that different.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author had a child with vitiligo and wrote this book. It has braille and sign language in the book. Good story to show how differences are okay.

[Leona · Rating 4 out of 5]

a little girl notices the differences in people but always comes to the conclusion that we're all basically the same. addresses cultural, race and physical differences.

[Buxmont Uu]

WOOW 13

[Amber Rose · Rating 2 out of 5]

Themes are very well explored in this book about what makes us different and what makes us the same.

[K Morlando · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book that discusses differences among children.