Literary Titan Gold Award Winning BookEvery Child is Unique! Whether they are big or small, short or tall, like to swim, dance, sing or bike. Perhaps they have a special need or disability, or have a different ethnic background. Maybe they wear glasses, talk differently or require a wheelchair to get around. The truth is that all children are different and their individuality should be celebrated, not shunned. And this inspiring and brightly illustrated rhyming picture book does just that.
By highlighting the ways kids are different from one another it helps children to accept themselves and others as the beautifully unique individuals that they are. It's OK to be Different encourages kids to be kind and befriend those who are different from themselves, showing young children that they don't have to look alike or enjoy doing the same activities to be kind to one another.
Readers will come away with the message: "You should always be kind to those who are different from you. Because to them, YOU are different too."
As more children read this book and learn this concept, we can impact the world in a positive way while at the same time teach early literacy. This non-fiction book closes with a short survey for children about kindness and is a terrific way to help you start an age appropriate conversation about diversity.
It's OK to be Different is a kid's book that belongs in children's book libraries alongside other popular children's books like Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown because of the simplicity of the rhymes, the detailed illustrations and its uniquely powerful message about kindness and diversity.
Themes represented in this book include diversity, kindness, anti-bullying, racism, disabilities and special needs. So if you're looking for a diverse book for kids that can start an important conversation at an early age, you've found it.
So, if you are looking for a good children's learning book for kids 2-4 or 3-5, or even children 6-8 with special needs, this colourful rhyming picture book is a great choice. And don't be surprised if it quickly becomes a favourite they ask to read again and again.
One parent left a reader review that said: "Amazing. This really helped my child become more confident. I am really happy with how this book improved how she thinks about herself." It's OK to be Different is all about showing children that the things that make them different are the very things that make them, them. We are all human, but we are not all the same and the things that make us different are the things that make us, unique.
It's the perfect inclusion gift book for both boys and girls preschool through grade 3. It helps parents and educators start an age appropriate conversation about race, special needs and other ways adults and children are diverse.
NOTE: This paperback was updated June 2025. Updates from the original include front and back matter and a few revised illustrations (done previously) but no story text changes have been made,
This title is also able in the following additional languages: Spanish, French and German and Hindi.
Other Works by this author include: The It's OK to be Different Colouring and Activity Book,The Wonder of Thunder:Lessons from a Thunderstorm, The Wherever Shall We Go Children's Bedtime Story Series and Kids Say and Do the Darndest Things (a parenting journal designed to capture all the crazy, silly, funny, serious and hilarious stuff your kid says and does. Click on the authors name at the top of this page to find titles from this author.
Sharon Purtill was a stay at home mom and entrepreneur when she stumbled into publishing in 1998. That year, along with her husband, she wrote and published her first book. That book's success took them both by surprise when it went on to sell tens of thousands of copies right out of their garage. Today, Sharon is an award winning author who publishes in multiple genres under a couple of different pseudonyms. Her passion for writing, family and a positive life motivates her to create books that she hopes will enrich the lives of others. She hopes to one day escape the cold, and write from a tropical beach somewhere where her biggest concerns will be sand sticking to her suntan lotion and an empty margarita glass. But, for now, Sharon treasures the warm summer months and the time she gets to spend with family and friends in Ontario, Canada.
