Title: Same, Same, But Different – It’s a Good Thing!
Author: Sandra J. Corneau
Publisher: XlibrisUS
ISBN: 978-1-7960-5101-8
Genre: Illustrated Children’s Book
Pages: 36
Reviewed by: Beth Adams
Pacific Book Review
Written with a flowing rhyme and simple wording, author Sandra J. Corneau brings the innocence of children playing with others from different parts of the globe within a playyard of fun and acceptance in her wonderfully illustrated book titled, Same, Same, But Different – It’s a Good Thing!
This book puts a group of kids together, frolicking on the slide, swings and around a neighborhood park’s play area. They all are enjoying laughing and having fun with the others. Each of the children comes from different places of origin; such as India, Japan, Greece, Italy, China and South Africa – but they all have two hands, two feet, a nose and eyes – so they are all the same, yet different. They don’t feel different, but they all feel the same. “Look at you, the same as me! But you are you and I am me.”
The many illustrations continue from page to page as readers get deeply into the playfulness of the children, and are enjoying each other. The differences in skin color, or facial features make if even more fun for the children as it would be boring if everyone looked the same. There are two pages brought into the book where older parents, or grandparents, tell the children their thoughts about some of the kids having skin which is too dark, or a nose which is too large. This shows how prejudice and racial discrimination are rooted in the comments of parents and older family members. If children are left to their own innocent judgement of friends being fun to play with regardless of their differences in appearance, readers come to the understanding the world would be a better place.
So this underlying theme of avoiding these feelings of discrimination brought on by older folks, and enabling children to just feel confident in their joy and pleasure of playing together with many different friends from various origins, is the basis for acceptance of the little things people have which is visibly obvious, but deep inside we are all the same. Same, Same, but Different!
This is a valuable lesson which is brought forth in a very subtle way, enabling children at a very young age to form their personality of acceptance and kindness to others. It also is a fun way, as a bedtime story, for kids to get one more playtime in the park before going to sleep. As they dream, they will see the differences of people being a good thing, and will awake to a better place for all children to play together, and as they grow into adults. The world will become to have more acceptance to the differences of people, because – It’s a Good Thing!
