I Just Like You

I love books that lift up my spirits and make me feel positive about the world. Here's a recently released picture book by one of my favorite authors - and (only a few towns away) neighbor.

Themes: friendship, diversity, acceptance

I Just Like You
by Suzanne Bloom
32 pages; ages 3-7
Boyds Mills Press, 2018

You don't look just like me.

An elephant and cat contemplate each other... turn the page and there's a pig and a llama imagining shapes in the clouds. They don't see the same thing. Over the next two pages we meet creatures that don't walk or talk like each other. But the cool thing:

You just like me!

What I like about this book: The idea is simple enough - we're all different from each other, but we like each other. We can be friends! As Suzanne Bloom shows, there are so many different ways to move, dress, think, and be. And yet, there we are, sharing meals and playing on the playground. And even though some of us may be turtles and some may be giraffes, we can embrace and celebrate what we appreciate about each other.

Suzanne visited our Ithaca-area SCBWI Shop Talk last month, bringing her portfolio filled with sketches for I Just Like You. It was really fun to see how the characters changed over time, and how the ideas in the book evolved as the animals became part of the story. Should the chickens be on the table? Where should the crocodile go? And how did that five-layer cake sneak past the skunk?

Beyond the Book:

How are you different from your friends? Do you do the same things? Find a way to celebrate the ways you are different and alike. Maybe you'll paint a picture, write a list, or build something that you can share with your friends.

How do writers and illustrators get their ideas? Great question. Visit Suzanne's webpage "Watch me Work" where she shares photos and a video about how she gets ideas onto the page.

We're joining Perfect Picture Book Friday today. It's a weekly event where bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's website. Review copy from publisher.