Popular IGER/speaker/podcaster Heather Avis has has written the joyful, rhyming children’s picture book Different—A Great Thing to Be! to help create a more welcoming and inclusive world. The book was inspired by her adopted daughter Macy, who has Down syndrome.
Different—A Great Thing to Be! is a joyful, rhyming book that encourages children to value the "different" in all people, leading the way to a more inclusive, kinder world in which the differences children see in themselves and others are celebrated and warmly embraced.
Macy is a girl who's a lot like you and me, but she's also quite different, which is a great thing to be. With kindness, grace, and bravery, little ones can journey with Macy in Different – A Great Thing to Be! as she finds her place in the world, bringing beauty and laughter wherever she goes and leading others to find delight in the unique design of every person.
Visit www.HeatherAvis.com & PenguinRandomHouse.com for more information.
“As a multi-ethnic, ability-diverse, adoptive family we know that this world is a place where everyone belongs, that we not only embrace our differences but we celebrate them and that life is better when we make room in our lives for those who have been missing.” –Heather Avis
Why did you write the picture book “Different?”
My first experience with motherhood was a little more than 12 years ago when I adopted my daughter Macy who happens to have Down syndrome. As a former educator I had always had a deep love for children’s literature so it was only natural for me to want to get started on filling my daughter’s book shelf in her room. It took one trip to our local book store to recognize that there were very few books representing a child like Macy. Over the years, as our family has grown with two more adoptions—including a daughter who is a different ethnicity than her father and I and a son with Down syndrome—we have made it a priority to build a foundation within our home where our differences are noticed, embraced and celebrated. As my daughter Macy has gotten older and entered school and more social settings in our community, I noticed that most people still feel bad about the things that make them different, and often feel a negative feeling towards the things which make others different and I wanted that to change. So I wrote the book I had been searching the bookshelves for but could never find, in hopes of shifting the narrative around different as we teach our children that different really is a great thing to be.
Why can it be hard for children to celebrate differences?
I believe people feel the most comfortable around what/who they are familiar with. It is a perfectly normal response to feel uncomfortable with what/who we are unfamiliar with. And it is often the differences we see in others which make us uncomfortable because it is unfamiliar. Our children have a difficult time celebrating differences because the adults in their lives are avoiding the “Different” around them to maintain some level of comfort. When we teach our kids (and ourselves!) to lean into the discomfort differences may bring, we offer them (an ourselves) opportunities for learning, growth and relationship, opportunities to enhance our collective humanity, opportunities to celebrate differences.
How can parents and caregivers encourage kids to not just accept but celebrate differences?
I think we can do this in three easy steps:
Expose our children to all kinds of differences from the very start. Make sure the books they read, the shows they watch and the toys they play with represent all different kinds of people. This makes the unknown, known and begins to “normalize” differences for them making it easier to embrace and celebrate differences.
Point out the differences in you, your children and other loved ones in a way that is positive and uplifting. For example, when my daughter Macy points out that her skin is light and her sister’s skin is dark we say “yes! And it’s so awesome that you both have different color skin!” Undoubtedly at some point in their lives our children will feel badly about something that makes them different, so let’s tell them from the beginning that we see their differences AND we celebrate what makes them different because it is good and beautiful and an asset to this world.
Let your children be curious and ask questions. When they ask why someone is a certain way instead of shushing them and pulling them away you can simply say, “remember, everyone is different and that’s what makes humans so amazing!” Then follow up with a conversation at home about the specific difference your child was curious about.
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