Commonality and dissimilarity are two extremes that children are faced with from the moment they are born. This can be both a blessing and a barrier, a comfort and a challenge. As parents, we seek to find the balance between encouraging our children to find similarities with others and urging them to embrace differences. Different, but the Same is a fun way to show children the sweet side of differences while reminding them that ultimately they all have one thing in common: the love of God.

Combining vivid digital artwork and rhyming text, this book is particularly suited for young children. It is formatted as an easy reader, but children who cannot yet read on their own will love to listen along and enjoy the brightly colored pages. Pointing to the things in each picture that the text is describing brings the lyrical words to life. Facing pages frequently show very contrasting things--skin color, favorite hobbies, language background, and more--which is a great way to reinforce the differences Threatt is describing.

Three times in the book the refrain comes along to emphasize the sameness that Threatt wants to get across to his readers, and at the very end of the book he brings it all to a climax by concluding that our Father in Heaven knows each of us by name and loves us the same, despite any differences we may have amongst ourselves.

For about $16, this hardcover book with glossy, colorful pages is a great way for children to learn about God's overarching love for all of His children. It is also a clever way to expose children to those who may be different from them. For families who have multi-cultural backgrounds, live in particularly diverse neighborhoods, or have adopted children of different races, Different, but the Same would be an excellent resource for beginning discussions about commonality verses differentiation--and the reality that the love of God bridges all divides.

Product review by Melissa Cummings, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, March 2011