Different--A Great Thing to Be!

This book is beautifully written & illustrated. This is a great book/lesson to teach all kids about inclusion and that being different is okay! :)

This is a book that every parent and educator needs to have on their bookshelf! What I love most about this book (besides the beautiful rhyming phrases and mesmerizing illustrations) is the resounding message that starts from the moment you read the title: DIfFeReNt is a GREAT thing to be! So often in the disability community we hear the phrase, “More alike than different.” As a parent to two children with disabilities, I can understand and appreciate this sentiment to a point. Of course, my kids need many of the same things other kids do: love, acceptance, and a sense of belonging just to name a few. But what this phrase ALSO insinuates, is that being the SAME is preferred over being different. It makes different seem like a bad thing. NOT THIS BOOK! This is a message that every child (and adult!) needs to hear. Thank you, Heather for putting this book out into the world so that we may all benefit! With the help of this book, kids can learn to embrace and love what makes them different. Which is a GREAT thing to be!

Bought this book for a teaching tool with extended family members (haven't used it for that purpose yet). Our son liked this book. Our son has physical and mental delays. Suggest for classrooms uses in general ed rooms and special ed rooms.

Got this for a gift to my youngest son. He loves to the pictures & reading along.

This book is a happy, colorful, lyrical way to take fear away from difference. We all need this story! There is so much waiting for all of us, young and old when get out of our ‘normal’ to see the incredible gift that ‘different’ really is. This makes an incredible gift to any child, school classrooms, doctors offices and anyplace a table with books is. Thank you Heather and Macy for giving us this beautiful book!

“When those scared of Different tried to keep Macy out, she just wouldn’t give up, nor did she pout.” This is the story of a girl named Macy, who has Down syndrome. She can do many fun things, but takes the world at her own pace and sometimes gets left out. With determination and a bright spirit, Macy embraces differences and teaches others to, too. “Sameness is fine, but Difference brings light.” The story is well-written as a poem, and the illustrations are beautiful. The story does not mention Macy’s disability specifically, but touches on some small differences that make Macy unique. The author is a well-known blogger “with an emphasis on shifting the Down syndrome narrative.”

Simply beautiful! The message, the illustrations, the different and the same of people. The story is about Macy, a girl with Down syndrome. She wears different on her face, and in her slight speech and slower mannerisms. But she loves life and dances and swims and plays just the same as other children. She wants to be included. Typical children should read this book to better understand children who are different from themselves. It’s up to parents to make sure this happens. Buy the book!

I'm a longtime follower of Macy and her family on Instagram (@theluckyfew) and am so delighted by this work of love by her Mom! The book is simply beautiful, both visually and with it's message. I'm happily awaiting the birth of my first grandbaby in October 2021; I bought this book to add to my library for him (and any other grandchildren that might be coming my way). Ican't wait to share this book and it's message with him!! Brava, Heather Avis and Sarah Mensinga! Your book Different, is a great thing to read! (See what I did there? 😊)