We Are All Alike . . . We Are All Different

by Cheltenham Elementary School Kindergartners

"We are all alike...we all have hearts and brains.
We are all different...we do not think or feel the same way."
An important lesson -- for children, by children.

WE ARE ALL ALIKE...WE ARE ALL DIFFERENT celebrates the multitude of differences in our society -- at a time when understanding tolerance and diversity have never been more important. Written by children for children, WE ARE ALL ALIKE reinforces multicultural and anti-bias learning and appreciation. With original drawings and their own lyrical words, a class of kindergartners share the ways they look and feel, the games they play, the foods they like, the homes they live in, and the families they live with, concluding that "We are all alike. We are all different. We are a family."

Genres: Picture Books, Cultural, Childrens, Nonfiction, Self Esteem, Spanish Literature, Family

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

Reviews

[Heather]

Text-to Teaching Connection:

For this book on individuality, diversity, and acceptance, I could do a writing activity to go along with the story. During and after a shared reading with the class, I could get students thinking about their own unique lives and selves by asking questions and making statements. I could say things such as "Some of us in this room get to wear glasses just like this girl!" or "How many of you have a grandparent living in the same home?" This will get their minds going and their creative juices flowing. Once the shared reading is finished, I would give them the assignment to write their own book about their own unique lives, features, traits, etc. They will be allowed to illustrate it with art supplies of their choice from a pre-filled box of items such as crayons, markers, colored pencils, stickers, etc. They would be told to use as many words from the Weekly Word Wall as possible. I would go around the room giving help when needed and asking questions. Once the writing task is completed, students will get with a partner and trade books to read. Partners will give feedback using a rubric I created, and then books will be turned in for me to look over and assess. I could choose a few students to share their books, and their individuality, the next day.

[寿理 宮本 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a cute "collaboration" with the school's kindergartners* doing art and photographers taking their pictures for this book, to highlight similarities and differences between all of us. We are all human beings, but we have different appearances, races, shapes, etc. It's a cute idea, but it's not terribly exciting, though I don't have a younger reader to gauge whether it's interesting to them. Perhaps as a sort of anti-racism precaution? Certainly where *I* grew up, racial minorities were VERY minority, so this could help curb the idea that White Default is normal and anything else is some anomaly... I don't know, though, since racism tends to persist if it's not an ongoing effort—one book read once or twice is not likely to change a lot of minds (but can't hurt).

*I would link, but that feels slightly predatory somehow, like "HERE IS A ROADMAP TO YOUNG CHILDREN" kind of thing, even if the ones in the book have *probably* aged out of school by now. Like why location-based games like Pokémon GO featuring hotspots associated with real-world locations would disallow schools and daycares from qualifying, that it wouldn't really be kosher to encourage adult players to hang around places with very young children.

[Makayla Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary:
This book is written by a group of kindergarteners about all of the ways that humans can be similar and different. They talked about topics such as gender, race, cultures, traditions, and even physical features.
Evaluation:
I think that this book was well written considering it was written by kindergarten students. I think that the illustrations were cute, and young students can relate to them.
Teaching point:
I would read this book to a group of kindergarteners without telling them any information about the authors. After reading the book, I would ask the students for their opinions on the book. After they told me whether or not they liked it, I would surprise them by informing them that it was written by kindergarteners, and I would encourage them that they can do it too. We would then move into the students writing their own books in groups of 5. They would work in their small group to each create a part of their book. When everyone is done, we will put the book together and 'publish' it.

[Jordan Vinson]

"We Are All Alike...We Are All Different" is a book that allows for a better understanding of tolerance. It explores how we are all human therefore alike but we are also so very different. We all have cultures and different ideals. That is what makes living so wonderful.
Grade- PreK-5
Lexile-200

[Becca · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a sweet way to highlight the good ways people are alike and different.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book while looking for children's books on anti-bias topics, and I was delighted by this one! It is based around a very simple idea of accepting others; because underneath it all, we're all just a bunch humans. Alike and different!
Love the illustrations, so creative!

[Aisha Rokarya · Rating 4 out of 5]

We Are All Alike... We Are All Different is written and illustrated by Cheltenham Elementary School Kindergartners and can be considered an informational non-fiction book. It is an amazing book that promotes the idea of acceptance of all because no matter what we look like because truthfully we are all one in the same. The book is written in a way which first has obvious statements like "We are all alike. We all have bodies." Then goes on to explain how even though we all have bodies some of us may short or tall. This is essentially the sequence the book is written in. It is a great book to read to children, especially Kindergartners and First Graders because that is when they are the most curious and confused about the difference among people. This book is a great representation of not only diversity in appearance but diversity in the way we all like to do things. It shows that its ok to be different and that we should accept ourselves and others. The pictures in the book are incredibly relatable as well. There are real life photos and not drawings. The photos include children of all races, sizes and appearances. This book is extremely relatable for all children. I recommend this book to all teachers and parents who may be having a hard time with their child understanding and accepting people who are different then themselves!

[Denise]

This was a delightful book created by real kindergarteners. The pictures are children's authentic artwork! It's topic focuses on our similarities and differences which reinforces multicultural and anti-bias learning and appreciation. It provides thought provoking questions throughout the book to engage listeners to communicate their ideas and opinions. What really was appealing to me was how it sparked an interest within the class to create their own book.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The topic of this book is to focus on our similarities and our differences and that those differences make us special. The audience is a larger audience of maybe kindergartners or first graders. There are questions at the bottom of each page that children can answer about where they live and about their family. So this book would be good for a shared reading or a read aloud. Some of the language in the books may be to difficult for young readers and would be more useful in a read aloud format. There is a lot of repetition and use of questioning to help aid in the understanding of the social issues of our differences. There is a good mix of photography and child-rendered artwork. The artwork flow seamlessly with the text on the pages as well.

[Carly Brown]

-This book would be great for kindergartners because it was written by kindergartners. It would also be great for other lower elementary classes such as a first grade class.
-This book would be great for a read-aloud or shared reading.
-This book addresses the issue that all children are alike in some ways but different in other way. This book places emphasis on the fact that the differences are a good thing.
-This book has repetitive phrases and questions that make the book easier for children and allows them to be more involved in the story.
-The pictures and the text work really well together because the pictures and illustrations show the differences and similarities as they are being mentioned in the text.

[Paul Hardin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is great for young children because some younger children might not understand why classmates might look and act differently. This book would be especially helpful in inclusion classrooms because younger children might not understand that children learn in different ways and that there might be something wrong with their brains. This book will help explain.
I would use this book in my classroom while doing the unit, "about me." This way we might be able to compose our own book based off of the children in my classroom. I also like it very much because it is illustrated by the kindergarten children. I think it is a powerful message to children and once they recognize their differences, they are more apt to accept the differences.

[Cherina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Summary: This book talks about the ways people are alike and different. It describes how we all have similar characteristics, but each of us have our own unique traits.

Uses: This book is good for read-aloud in kindergarten and first grade. It is also appropriate for early readers to use in independent reading. It uses a lot of repetitive words and phrase, while also incorporating more complex words like apartment and community.

Social issues: This book discusses the difference in all individuals and emphasizes acceptance of those who are different.

The illustrations in this text allow children to make a connection with the story. The images show students, just like them!

[Charlaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. I love that it is written and illustrated by other students. The book seems so simple but has such a powerful message of acceptance and tolerance that will be really important for young students to learn.

Extension:
I could do exactly what those students did and make up our own book and make our own pictures. We could use it to make "All about me" books and share the things about ourselves and how we are different. We could share about our families and where we live and what we look like. It could also be a whole unit on diversity and the meaning behind that word.

[Mikayla Mackert · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love this book. It is a book written by actual kindergartners. It is a book about diversity, and how we are all similar and different at the same time. I think it is a great way to teach students multicultural ideas. I also think they will enjoy it because it is written by kids themselves.

[Jessicaleighb]

Great for team building

[Grannyreadsalot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute that it was done by school children. Good way to explore similarities & differences, help children explore individualities.

[Todd Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect to read at the beginning of the school year. Great book for diversity and appreciating our differences and similarities.

[Brittany White · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like this book because it is a fun way to teach diversity. Students can engage in the book for an interactive, thought-provoking read-aloud.

[Nicole]

a good memories to so many years back

[Christina Townley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book that is written by kindergartners about the differences and similarities all people share. It tells from a simplistic point of view not to judge others because everyone is different

[Kendra · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good book for young primary students to talk about people differences. The book is written by kindergarteners.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this to myself, not yet to my kids. I like the photos, and the focus on different and same. I like it that it's by a kindergarden class.

[Amy]

all illustrations made by a kindergarten class. Very short, but it emphasizes diversity as a positive thing.
Used in a discussion about diversity.

[Cara Olansky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic in every facet of quality - relatable to every child, regardless of culture or race, captivating pictures done by kindergarten students (words written by kindergarten students as well).