It's Okay To Be Different (Todd Parr Classics)

This book shows young children that it is okay to be "different" in many ways. There are colorful, interesting pages with examples of people with different color hair, someone in a wheel chair, and my favorite--different types of families. This is especially important for children who come from non-traditional households like single parent households, same-sex households, or whom are adopted. There is a page on being adopted but you can basically add any story to that page if adoption does not apply.The words are simple and because the pictures are open to interpretation you can add your own story to them. Whatever you need to explain--for instance a disability in addition to the wheel chair, or a non-traditional family arrangement on the pages with two "moms" and two "dads" that can easily be interpreted as gay parents or a birth mom and an everyday (or adoptive) mom. Or, any two caregivers if a child comes from a family with no mom and no dad (for instance grandparent and aunt or uncle).I really like this book because for small children it is often difficult to understand these kinds of differences and this book makes is okay to talk about them and opens up space to discuss them in ways appropriate to the child's age. It also gives them the ability to start piecing together their own story to share with classmates, because these things inevitable come up in school.I first ran across this book in a preschool class. The teacher used it to discuss descriptions (like hair color, clothing, etc.) because of the colorful pictures but also to make the point of the book and it is a great resource for both academic learning and social learning. I'm very happy with it and it keeps my 4 year old's attention and sparks more conversations, which let me in on how he understands his relationships with other people.

I bought this book as a present for my Preschool class. We made a Christmas Tree related to the book. The illustrations are so inclusive to any type of student and they all loved seeing the different types of classmates my students could be exposed to at any school. The book is so colorful, fun, and is very child friendly! Todd Parr is great and I love all his books.

My daughter is 6, she has grown up with one of her closest friends having Down syndrome. But when she made her way to public school in first grade there were difference in religion, clothing, appearances, and language that she was being faced with. And as all children do, she started to ask questions about why her new friends weren't like her old friends. So we bought this book after seeing it in a store, and she loved it!!!!As a mommy, I loved it because t blended serious differences with silly ones, that helped keep her attention. The drawings assist in keeping her attention and created a visual representation of what the book was talking about.Weeks after purchasing and reading the book, she brings it up and talks about it when we are out and about and see things that make every person different. It really helped me explain mental illnesses, religion, and other things that make people different, but not visually different. It also helped her to defend a friend at school that was getting picked on for not celebrating Halloween, she explained to the kids about all of the ways that people can be different. One proud mommy!!!! And a grateful mommy for a book that helped simplify a difficult conversation.

My kids love this book, and the messaging is really good to highlight differences and that is ok!

Great book and my grandson loved it.

The book was used for a classroom guidance lesson. The script was easy to understand and the children loved the colorful graphics.

I am a Lutheran Church librarian in Florida who bought this book for our church library. I think the work of every child is to figure out where he/she fits in the world. Why are some people this way and others that way? Is one way right and one way wrong? As we grow older we realize that there is right and wrong and also many shades of grey. We call this ethics. That is not really what this book is about. This book is about differences that children perceive and wonder about: differences in appearance--tall, short, chubby, thin, physical challenges, racial differences, and silly little things like freckles or hair color or wearing braces or glasses. I think Parr's heart is definitely in the right place. He tries to send to our kids a message of acceptance of these sorts of superficial differences but which kids (and adults) often blow way out of proportion. He's trying to at least let all kids begin life on an even playing field. Instead of seeing such traits and characteristics as detriments this book recommends that we just consider them unique traits and no big deal. This is a good message.Most of the reviewers who dislike this book take it as a comment on ethics when I do not think that is really what it is meant to comment on. We all know that there are things that are right (telling the truth, being good peaceful neighbors, etc.) and things that are definitely wrong (lying, taking a weapon to school, child abuse, etc.) But this book is not about that. It is on a much, much simpler level. Since most children learn bigotry and prejudice by the age of THREE (!) it is imperative that we "bigot-proof" them very early in their lives, preferably before they begin school. This is a book meant for early childhood, when children become more aware of differences and wonder about them. Just take it at that level. And if you do not like to eat macaroni in the bathtub, then for heaven's sake, discuss it with your child!!! That is what books are for--to promote dialogue and thought. If eating macaroni in the bathtub is the oddest thing your kid ever does in life, you do not have a very curious or flexible child!As a former art teacher, I like the bold colors and drawings--very nice. I think most kids who read this book come away with a rather happy attitude about the message. Most would probably think it whimsical with a hint of truth.

Such a fun book! A bit big and just paper pages, but baby loves the color and illustrations! Reaches for it first.