March 31, 2021

Book Review: We're Different, We're the Same

We're Different, We're the Same
Sesame Street cover showing a diverse illustrated group of people.

I recently came across the classic Sesame Street book We’re Different, We’re the Same, by Bobbi Jane Kates. This little paperback book that only costs a few dollars had such a profound message to share. The book catalogs how different parts of us are the same and how they are different. It ends with the thought that our differences are what make the world a beautiful place. The idea may be simplistic but is the perfect way to help even our youngest children begin to be inclusive.

If you are looking for a way to teach pre-school age children the importance of appreciating differences and recognizing that we all have similarities, We’re Different, We’re the Same, is the perfect book to share.

Reading is something that has brought me joy and helped me relate to others and the world around me throughout my life. I believe that sharing books together is one of the quickest and most effective ways to connect with one another. Sharing books about life experiences can bring us closer even when our experiences are vastly different. On this blog, I share some of my favorite books that help me connect with my refugee friends. I hope as you find out about great books about refugees you and your children will feel a connection with their experiences and recognize that we are all more similar than we realize. I also share books that might help you to teach the children in your sphere of influence more about compassion, tolerance, and kindness as these traits help bring us all a little closer in the world.

What would you do if you had to leave everything behind?

By the end of 2025, more than 117.8 million people worldwide had been forcibly displaced by war, persecution, or human rights abuses — and 45 million of them are children.

They arrive in refugee camps and countries seeking safety and carrying little: legal papers, if they're lucky. A backpack. A child's hand in theirs.

What they carry that we can't see is heavier: fractured families, homes they'll never return to, professions they loved, friends and relatives they may never see again.

In a climate where immigrant stories are often ignored or twisted, we believe stories are a form of justice. When someone shares what they survived, they reclaim their voice. When we amplify it through film, photography, and advocacy, the world listens. Hearts soften. Policy begins to shift.

Because when a lawmaker sees a person instead of a statistic, and a neighbor understands instead of fears, rebuilding becomes possible.

Your support helps us share these stories where they matter most.

— Kristen Smith Dayley, Executive Director, Their Story is Our Story

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