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2012

Muslim and American: Two Perspectives

It's OK To Be Different

Todd Parr

Audience:

Pre-K

From Publishers Weekly: It's OK To Be Different combines rainbow colors, simple drawings and reassuring statements in this optimistic book. His repetitive captions offer variations on the title and appear in a typeface that looks handcrafted and personalized. A fuschia elephant stands against a zingy blue background ("It's okay to have a different nose") and a lone green turtle crosses a finish line ("It's okay to come in last"). A girl blushes at the toilet paper stuck to her shoe ("It's okay to be embarrassed") and a lion says "Grr," "ROAR" and "purrr" ("It's okay to talk about your feelings"). Parr cautiously calls attention to superficial distinctions. By picturing a smiling girl with a guide dog ("It's okay to need some help"), he comments on disability and he accounts for race by posing a multicolored zebra with a black-and-white one. An illustration of two women ("It's okay to have different Moms") and two men ("It's okay to have different Dads") handles diverse families sensitively this could cover either same-sex families or stepfamilies and also on the opposite page, a kangaroo with a dog in its pouch ("It's okay to be adopted"). He wisely doesn't zero in on specifics, which would force him to establish what's "normal." Instead, he focuses on acceptance and individuality and encourages readers to do the same.

About the Author

Todd Parr is the author and illustrator of more than 30 children's books. He grew up in Wyoming and moved to San Francisco in 1995 to pursue a career as an artist. He published his first book in 1998 and is well known for his distinctive use of bright colors and bold, black outlines to illustrate his books. He has won two National Parenting Publication Awards and three Oppenheim Gold Awards among other prizes.

Todd Parr

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