It’s Okay to Be Different (2001) by Todd Parr is a wonderful picture book for young children, starting at age 3. The book is colorful, fun, and easy to read and it showcases all of the things that make people different. The best part about the book is that it talks about these differences in a ‘no big deal’ sort of way. For example, Parr writes, “it’s okay to be missing a tooth (or two or three)”. “It’s okay to be a different color”. He uses colorful pictures to illustrate his point as well. The picture that corresponds with the different color idea is a drawing of two zebras, one that is black and white and the other one is multi-colored.
Another difference Parr writes about is “It’s okay to have wheels. It’s okay to wear glasses”. By showing that someone in a wheelchair is no different then someone who wears glasses is hopefully allowing children to grow up without any prejudgments of people who are “different”. This book shows kids that it’s okay to have differences and that everyone is different.
Parr also writes about different types of families, saying no to bad things, coming from a different place, being embarrassed, and silly things like helping squirrels collect nuts and eating macaroni in the bathtub. I think this book is a wonderful way to begin introducing young children to different types of people and families and allowing them to realize that everyone is different and that is a good thing.
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2 comments:
Sounds like "It's o.k. to be different" addresses many important issues including childre3n with identified special needs. Thanks for the re3commendation.
This sounds like a good book. I am definitely going to look for it.
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