Same, Same But Different

American boy and boy from India correspond, and see how they are the same and different.

Are kids pen pals anymore? It seems like hardly anyone writes letters these days and it seems especially unlikely children would do it. Email seems more likely. Although the mode of communication Elliot and Kailash use seems anachronistic, the story is enjoyable and the illustrations are vibrant.

The book is perfect to introduce to students different culture, and even we practice different some thing at the end we are the same.

Very great, interesting illustrations. Compares and contrasts two different worlds of pen pals that become very close and realize how the others life is just like theirs, but in different ways.

Summary: This book is about two boys who become pen pals. They realize they have a lot in common even though one child lives in American and the other lives in India. The book shows how these two become best friends and still live in way different environments.

Personal Reaction: I think this book

Show More

is a good way to show children that just because people may be from different parts of the world they are still children like you. Children today can learn a lot from this.

Classroom extension ideas:
1.) Have the children make a list of their favorite things to do. The research things children like to do in other countries on the ipad.
2.) Look up pictures of different countries in the world.
3.) Color a picture and send it to a pen pal from across the world.

Show Less

This book is about pen pals from the opposite sides of the world comparing their lives, noticing the similarities and differences.
This would be a fantastic way to teach students about diversity and other parts of the world, maybe even relate it to a pen pal project of their own.
This would be a

Show More

great book for anyone from 2nd to 5th grade.

Show Less

I thought this was a great book that showed students how cultures differ in places around the world. The first reason I liked this book is because of the multicultural aspect that the author discusses throughout the book. The book is about a child from India and a child from the United States who

Show More

are pen pals, and they write back and forth to each other discussing similarities and differences about their lives. For example, both characters like to climb trees, but the child in India uses an elephant for transportation, whereas the child in the U.S. city uses a taxi. The author did a nice job of showing how the two children are the same in their interests, but different in the environment in which they reside. The book gave a lot of information about life in India that I didn’t know prior to reading this book. The second reason I liked this book is because of the bright, engaging illustrations. All of the illustrations featured vivid colors and characters that were drawn like comics as opposed to realistically. On one page, the text twists and turns through the image of a river, following its path across the page. On another page, the text is written on images of skyscrapers high in the sky. The main idea of this book is that friendship overcomes cultural and geographical boundaries, and that even though someone is from a different country, you can still share interests with them and become friends.

Show Less

I loved this book! This is a great multicultural text to include in a classroom library. The plot of the story is excellent because it shows a pen pal relationship between two different boys in different parts of the world. It demonstrates the similarities and difference of their lifestyle but also

Show More

shows that they can still be friends. I also like this book because of the illustrations. Each page is very engaging by using vibrant colors and putting objects comparing the two boys on opposite pages. Great visuals are provided for the reader and the illustrations correlate closely with the text. I think the main idea of this story is to show how lifestyles can be different but there are also a vast amount of similarities. Also, it does not matter where you are from there you can always make new friends and learn something new.

Show Less

“Same, Same, but Different!” was a cute tale about a set of pen pals who write to each other to share stories about their culture to one another. I loved this book for many reasons; it was engaging and relatable to all readers. Elliot lives in the U.S. and Kailash lives in India, these two boys

Show More

learn that there are some major differences in each other’s lives, but there are some things that are very similar. The two boys write back and forth to each other and they talk about the things that they do at home. “My name is Kailash, and I love to climb trees too, ” Kailash says as he introduces himself, “Same, same, but different!” These boys play the same games at home, showing that even though they live so far from one another, they still have so much in common! I also enjoyed the way they the boy’s lives were portrayed to the readers through illustrations. In the book, the boys talk about their families at home. On one side of the page there was a picture of Elliot and his family of four, on the other side of the page was a picture of Kailash and his huge family of twenty-three people. The third thing that I loved about this book was how the illustrations showed how the boys see their worlds that they live in. On one page Elliot was talking about the city that he lives in, the illustration on this page showed Elliot almost as tall as some of the buildings, along with buildings looking like pencils.

Show Less

I really liked this book! Seeing two contrasting cultures from the perspective of children was very interesting. My favorite part of the book was the writing style the author used. Each boy would describe a part of his life, and then the other boy would describe that part of his life within his

Show More

culture. For example Elliot describes his pets, which are common to America, and then Kailash describes his pets, goats, pigs and other animals. In addition to the paralleling point-of-views the author ended each comparison with same, same, but different. By doing this the author pushes the reader to think about different cultures and develop an appreciation for cultures different from theirs. We may appear to be different but we are similar. For example, the boys go to different looking schools but they are both learning skills to help them in their future. Finally I really enjoyed the illustrations in the book. I first noticed that they were created using a variety of fabrics, and papers with textures or patterns. The illustrations matched the text very well and helped show the differences and similarities. For instance, each boy drew their world and showed the differences between America and India. The big idea/message of this book is to appreciate other cultures and realize that all those differences are actually similarities between each other and one’s culture.

Show Less

This was an enjoyable book about an American child and an Indian child who become "picture"pals-like pen pals but with pictures.

I really liked the perspective of the book. It was told switching back and forth from the American and Indian childs' perspectives. Throughout the book the children

Show More

describe their worlds and lives and make observations about the similarities that they have. At the end, they even mention "We're best friends, even though we live on two different worlds. Or do we?"

The pictures of this book also really help to move the story forward. The illustrations are the actual pictures that the children sent back and forth to each other, with a few exceptions. The page where the two realize they don't both live in entirely different worlds show both of them in their beds, with all of the pictures that were sent between them up on their respective walls. The illustrations feature innovative features, like cut-outs and and pieces of recycled newspaper as well.

The message of this book is that even though someone may be very "different" from you, you actually are very similar in a lot of ways.

Show Less

This is a story about two children who live in different countries and exchange letters and pictures by being pen pals. Kailash lives in India and Elliot lives in America. I love that these two boys show that they are best friends even when they live oceans apart and see the world in a different

Show More

way.
My favorite part about this book is that it shows children a different way of communication rather than email or texting. The two best friends send pictures of each other in the mail and pictures of what their countries look like and the lives they live.
The pictures, acrylic paintings with crayons, are extremely engaging for children because they look as if a child had drawn them. The illuustrations are important in this book because they show the differences in where each friend lives, India and the city.
The title itself plays a big role in the book. Both friends look at the world in a different way and live different lives, but they have so much in common, enough to be best friends! Overall I really enjoyed reading this book and would strongly recommend it to a teacher who wants to show multiculturalism in their classroom.

Show Less

"Same, same but Different," by Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw is a beautiful book. I really enjoyed this book for three reasons. Firstly, I love the subject of the text. The story is about pen pals who live in different parts of the world. They have the same kind of experiences, but are exposed to it in

Show More

different ways. For example, the child lets his pen pal that he rides a bus to school, and his pen pal in the Middle East also rides a bus; although, his is a buggy connected by a bicycle. Another thing that I liked about this book is how dependent the story is on the illustrations. Usually a book uses illustrations to enhance the story, but in the case of this book, the illustrations are the story. Without the pictures the reader would not understand how the experiences are the same, yet different. For example, both children share pictures of their family. Elliot, who is from America has his immediate family in his picture while Kailash includes his extended family. The text names who are in the picture, but the illustrations highlight the "same differences." Finally, I really enjoyed the message of the book. I love how the author uses a colloquialism as a premise for a book about tolerance and celebrating the similarities in people's difference. The main idea of this book is that everyone is "same, same but different."

Show Less

I will be adding it to our collection at home. This is the story of pen pals Elliott and Kailash and their journey in discovery they have a lot in common but their worlds look different. while we read, my five year old was engaged and so too was my three year. It's nice to have a book like this,

Show More

especially when my daughter has asked me why some of her friends are brown. A great teaching tool.

Show Less

Summary: This children's story is about a young boy who sends a picture across the world to another student in another country. The two children become pen pals and write to each other about their families, school, and everyday lives. They compare how their lives are the same and how they are

Show More

different while becoming good friends.

Argument: I absolutely loved this book and all it had to offer an elementary school classroom. The first reason, I enjoyed this book was for its illustrations. This book was so colorful and bold, readers will not be able to turn away. The colors and shapes really capture the culture of the two children and vividly depict the lifestyles they live. The second reason I enjoyed this book was for its repetition. On every page when the two boys share something about themselves the words "same, same but different" are repeated. This reminds children that even though they may be worlds apart they may still have some similarities to each other. It reminds children to look beyond appearance and race and focus on the characteristics that make that person unique. The last reason I enjoyed this book was for its questioning. At the end of the book it says, "Even though we live in two different worlds, or do we"? This statement is great for readers to apply their knowledge and think outside of the box. These two boys can realize they have more in common and their worlds are not so different even though they live across oceans. It makes the children wonder about their relationships with others of different cultures and race and how important it is to accept and acknowledge one another.
The main message of this book is to teach children that even though they may not look the same or come from the same place they are not that different from each other. They still go to school, have families, play games, and see their friends. This book teaches children about other cultures all while opening their eyes to new perspectives on the world around them.

Show Less

Summary: In this book, two little boys are pen-pals. Elliot lives in America and Kailash lives in India. The boys exchange letters throughout the book and realize they are the same in different ways. For example, they say they both ride a bus to school but Elliot takes a regular school bus, while

Show More

Kailash takes a bus that is like a bicycle. The boys compare other aspects of their lives too. Another example is that they both have pets: Elliot has two pets, but Kailash has over five pets. The boys in the book realize that even though they are different they have a lot of aspects in their lives that are the same.

Review: I thought this book was good at informing how children all over the world are similar. Therefore, the main message of this book was to show children that even though they are living in different parts of the world, they still have many things that are the same but different. For example, Elliot showed how he used cars for his transportation and then Kailash showed how they barley used cars and mainly used animals; this was the same but different. This book was a great multicultural book that showed students how two different lives can be similar in different ways.

Show Less

I absolutely loved this books! I loved it for many reasons. The first reason being that it had beautiful and colorful illustrations! Each illustration was so engaging on every single page of this book! Another reason I truly enjoyed this book was for the relationship that grew between the two

Show More

children from across the world. I also loved the repetition throughout this book! Whenever the boy shared a similar aspect of their daily lives, although different, the words "same, same but different" are repeated for reinforcement. I loved the main message of this book and I think it is a necessary lesson for young children to learn. The main message is that no matter how far away you live from someone, race, location, or anything else matters. You are the same, yet somewhat different in your own unique ways. I would recommend this book to anyone and will definitely have this one in my future classroom!

Show Less

Summary: Two children become pen-pals and as they learn how much their worlds are the same they become best friends.

Reflection: Very cute story.

Extension: This book would be good to teach acceptance of other cultures.

This adorable children's book is great for young children and has a central message that even though you may have a different background from someone, you may be the same. I loved the two main characters Elliot and Kailash. They were relatable to all children and made me want to keep reading about

Show More

them. They discovered that even though they live on opposite sides of the world and have very different cultures they still love to do similar things such as climbing trees. They also both live with their families but even though things they do are similar they also see how their lives are different. It is a great story to teach young children to be accepting of everyone and about different cultures.

Show Less

Same, Same But Different is a wonderful story about two pen pals. The two boys begin to discover a lot about one another through their letters and pictures. The illustrations help to create a connection between both characters' story. I would select this book to teach students how to identify the

Show More

similarities and differences between different cultures.

Show Less

This book won the Ezra Jack Keats Book Award. Elliot lives in American and Kailash lives in India, two pen pals that learn about each other's culture through letters, comparing differences. But surprisingly, there are many similarities as well! This book is a good example of a children's picture

Show More

book, but also might fit into another genre of informational text, because much of the content of this picture book informs readers about the culture and traditions of India, their animals, their homes, cities, even their language and alphabet.

Show Less

Eliot from America, and Kailash from India become pen pals. In their letters they exchange information about their homes and find similarities and differences.

This book was a fantastic informational book. The author gave information on several cultures throughout the world in a way that just felt like reading a typical picture book style story. It is an informational text and contained all of the elements that one should include such as accuracy

Show More

organized and engaging. Because the author chose to write this book like a story, that added to the engaging element drastically. The organization was appropriate, they talked about one culture at a time and did not hop around. Another trait that this book possessed that I really liked was the language. The author used words that were relevant to the various cultures but in a way that children could still understand and relate to the book. The language was also extremely descriptive as it described each culture, using vivid words and concepts.

Show Less

The story is about two boys who write to each other and Notice that even though they are across the world somethings are different but they also have things in common. It's a story that proves that we don't have to be close to become friends and even though we may be different we all are the same

Show More

and away.
Ages 4-6
Pierce College Library

Show Less