Looking to explore the idea that people are the same – except for a few small differences? This is a cute and simple way to go about it without getting into specifics just yet.
Up Above and Down Below
by Paloma Valdivia
OwlKids
ISBN: 978 1 926973 39 5
In the world of this book, there are two kinds of people – the people who are up above and the people who are down below. They are pretty much the same, but they think they are different. Really, their differences are small and geography-based. If they all mingled together, we find, it would be hard to tell the difference.
This is a very simple look at how people from different places are not so dissimilar, aimed at young children – it’s a perfect starting place, especially for a group, for it doesn’t get into specifics at all. that can come in discussion or books that talk about those specifics in more detail. (like the ones listed below.) Instead, it keeps things light, showing a mix of people with white or tan skin, red noses and cheeks, and a variety of outfits and hairdos all rendered in offbeat, quirky illustrations with a nice degree of whimsy.
Looking for books on topics of differences? Here are a few of my favourites:
Let’s Talk About Race, by Julius Lester – this is a very frank discussion of race and how we are the same and different, by master storyteller Julius Lester, who talks about being black and Jewish. it’s a very good one for discussing with slightly older kids – say grades 2-6, maybe even grade 1.