The Same But Different Too

by Karl Newson, Kate Hindley (Illustrator)

Overview

“Charming pairs of human and animal characters celebrate their similarities and differences. . . . Entertaining.” —Kirkus Reviews

There’s something about each of us that makes us special. But while everyone is unique, we all have many things in common as well. Explore the ways that we are all the same but different, too, in this joyful and simple celebration of individuality and camaraderie. Filled with children and their animal friends, this rhyming text illuminates the wonderfully different and similar things that make us who we are.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781536212013
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	03/19/2020
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	10.80(w) x 10.90(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	2 - 5 Years

About the Author

Karl Newson writes for the children’s book blog The Mudwaffler and contributes to The Creative Attic, an online publication of illustrated poetry. He is the author of For All the Stars Across the Sky, illustrated by Chiaki Okada, and A Bear Is a Bear (except when he's not), illustrated by Anuska Allepuz. He lives in England.

Kate Hindley is a children’s book illustrator living and working in the UK. She worked as a print designer before illustrating her first book, Claire Freedman’s The Great Snortle Hunt, which was nominated for the Kate Greenaway Medal. Since then, she has illustrated a number of books, including the Smashie McPerter chapter books and Don't Call Me Choochie Pooh! by Sean Taylor.

Editorial Reviews

02/24/2020

Life would be a snooze if everyone were the same, but it’s also nice to have some things in common. That’s the simple premise of Newson (I Am a Tiger) and Hindley’s (Be More Bernard) rhyming bedtime book. Each vignette pairs a sweet-natured, anthropomorphized animal with a wide-eyed human kid who points out how the pair reflects shared likes, qualities, or differences. “I am hungry/ You are too,” notes a child using a wheelchair, who stares at a very tall and precarious stack of pancakes while sitting across from an anteater (matching checked napkins are neatly tucked under both chins). On the opposite page, a kid about to be examined by a smiling crocodile dentist notes (without alarm), “I have fewer teeth than you.” The layout lends a jaunty visual rhythm, and pencil and digitally colored images offer an elegant, easygoing vibe. The wrap-up is a lovely note of unity: everyone gathers for a story, and then heads to the ultimate bunk bed—portrayed in a vertical spread—for a collective lights out. Ages 2–5. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

2019-12-08
Charming pairs of human and animal characters celebrate their similarities and differences.

Characters might look obviously dissimilar, like the brown-skinned child holding hands with the sharply dressed white dog—but they're also alike in many ways, like the sand-colored cat and the sandy-haired white kid who both wear the same striped shirt and overalls. Alternating between contrasting pairs on solid-color backgrounds and comparable pairs in full-bleed scenes, cartoon illustrations reminiscent of Richard Scarry's depict a mixed group of animals and humans exploring their varied identities and experiences with joy. Minimalist rhyme makes for an easy read-aloud and an amusing counterpoint to slapstick antics: "I am gentle. You are rough," reads the text above a llama in a goofy hat dashing toward the page turn as a dark-haired white child holds onto its reins for dear life. Animal characters often serve as an evasion of responsibility for diverse human representation, but this book takes care to show a range of human skin tones as well as a wheelchair user. The art also offers just enough detail to charm observant readers, from an elephant double-fisting pastries to a bus-stop sign reading "BLEAK ST." next to two characters standing in the rain. Somewhat oddly, the loose and otherwise nonchronological narrative ends with bedtime, although that does allow for a well-placed vertical turn to show all the animals stacked in a bunk bed.

Entertaining if a tad pat. (Picture book. 2-6)

Kirkus Reviews

Charming pairs of human and animal characters celebrate their similarities and differences...Entertaining.
—Kirkus Reviews

Drawn in pencil and digitally colored, the artwork is sure to spark conversations about the kids, the animals, and the situations shown. A fanciful, gently amusing concept book.
—Booklist Online

The layout lends a jaunty visual rhythm, and pencil and digitally colored images offer an elegant, easygoing vibe. The wrap-up is a lovely note of unity: everyone gathers for a story, and then heads to the ultimate bunk bed—portrayed in a vertical spread—for a collective lights out.
—Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher