Title: Different? Same!
Author: Heather Tekavec
Major Themes: Animals, Diversity
Synopsis: Animals that seem very different have characteristics that make them very similar.
This is a lovely picture book! I read it to my four-year-old, and when he saw me preparing to write the review of it, he wanted me to read it again. What little child doesn’t like a book full of pictures of animals!
How can a tiger and a walrus be the same? And what could a rhinoceros beetle and a clam possibly have in common? Each two-page spread shows four different animals, with a sentence about each one (the rhinoceros beetle says, “I’m strong for my size,” and the clam says, “I burrow in sand.”) Then, at the end of the page, we read, “But look closer now…We all have ____.” In the case of the beetle and the clam, it is shells! I would never have thought of these similarities, in most cases, but this is a really unique way of looking at animals. My older children, who looked over my shoulder while I was reading the book to the little ones, had fun guessing what the similarity would be on each set of pages.
The illustrations are cute. They aren’t totally realistic; the animals have been given goggly eyes, and human expressions. I liked them, though. They do a good job of illustrating the same part of the book, as well as the different part. This is one I wouldn’t mind owning in print.
I received a free ecopy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
No warnings!
Age levels:
Listening Level—Ages 1 – 2, 3 – 4
Reading Independently—Ages 5 – 6, 7 – 9
Links to buy this book:
Amazon: Kindle | Hardcover | Board Book
AbeBooks: View Choices on AbeBooks.com
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