Cynthia Geisen - We Are Different and Alike: A Book about Diversity

We Are Different and Alike A Book about Diversity Cynthia Geisen Illustrated by Anne FitzGerald I want to thank the members of Westwood HillsCongregational Church in Los Angeles for suggestingthe topic of this book and I am grateful to Ryan, Kimberly, Marilyn, Ron, and Mary Jeannefor helping me find the words. A Message from the Author to Parents and Caring Adults Diversity: we have only to look around us to glimpse it. Cats, dogs, birds, humans no two of us are exactly alike. Even identical twins are not identical; each has a unique personality, talents, and interests. Small children are keen observers of the world around them. They notice differences and wonder about them.

Why do birds have feathers but dogs have fur? Why do some people live in houses and others in apartments? Why is my skin brown and Sallys white? Small children perceive diversity as a phenomenon to be enjoyed and explored rather than as a barrier. Only as they grow older, do children learn to make value judgments about the variety in the world around them. The experience of a young Martin Luther King is a prime example. As a preschooler, Martins best friend was white. When they reached school age, Martin learned that he and his friend would attend different schools. His friends mother never again allowed her son to play with Martin.

Martins mother tried to comfort her sad and confused son, assuring him of his worth and importance. Parents and other caring adults are among the most important interpreters of diversity for the children we love. Through our words and actions, we teach the children in our lives to regard difference either as something to be celebrated or feared, welcomed or opposed. In addition, we have the opportunity to help children discover the paradox that our differences simply cloak the bone-deep similarities that unite all people. In her poem Underneath Were All the Same, Amy Maddox wrote, He prayedit wasnt my religion. He ateit wasnt what I ate.

He spokeit wasnt my language. He dressedit wasnt the color of mine. But when he laughedit was how I laughed, and when he criedit was how I cried. Pointing to the mystery that we are both different and the same is the aim of this book. I hope you will enjoy sharing it with a child you love. Cindy Geisen God loves to make many different things.

L ook all around. The world is filled with many different things: birds and fish, rocks and trees, people and animals. N one of them is exactly the same. G od has made beautiful creationslike you. We are different and alike. N o one is just like you.

No one else has your eyes, your personality, or your smile. Y ou are also like everyone else. You laugh when you feel happy and cry when you feel sad. L ets explore other ways that people are different AND alike. People are many different shapes, sizes, and colors. O n the outside, we look different from each other.

We are short or tall, old or young, small or large. God made people in many colors. B ut on the inside, we are the same. We giggle at jokes. Sometimes we get scared. We each have different talents. We each have different talents.

W hat are you good at? Maybe you sing or dance. Y our friend may draw beautiful pictures. M aybe your sister is good at math. E ach of us has a special talent. T he world needs people to be good at different things! We move around in different ways. D o you ride in a wheelchair? Maybe you walk with a brace.

H ave you noticed that people have different ways of walking? W e all have places to go. We go to school, visit friends, and shop at the store. We get there in many ways. We live in many different countries. D oes it snow where you live? Some people have never seen snow! W hat language do you speak? Some people speak Spanish or Creole. H ow do you dress? Some people wear burkas, kimonos, or parkas.

W e live in many placesbut we share the same world!