"A new kid has moved in next door to Little Critter and his family. He's a nice kid but he's just a little bit different: His mother is a rabbit and his father is a turtle. This timely story about prejudice and friendship is filled with Mercer Mayer's trademark humor." -- GoodReads
"Just a Little Different is a picture book about a group of kids who have a hard time accepting a different person into their friend group. The new kid is part turtle, part rabbit. The rest of the kids in the neighborhood are all pure bread animals, so they find the new kid to be strange and don't want to include him. Little Critter is the only child who wants to include the new kid in their games. At first all the other kids reject the new kid. Thankfully Little Critter does the right thing and decides to be friends with the new kid regardless of what the other kids think. This book teaches some great lessons. Everyone should treat people the way they want to be treated. Just because someone is different from you or the majority, does not mean they are weird! This can be a good book to teach kids about how not to be bullies. The characters are animals which is also great for children. This book can be taught at any age of elementary." -- Alex Daniels (GoodReads)

a new friend is a little different than the rest of the critter. brother critter does his best to be friends with the new critter. eventually the rest of the critters becomes friends with the new critter too
1 book

Summary: a new critter has joined the town, but this critter is different. His dad is a turtle, but his mother is a rabbit. The main character tries to convince his friends that the new kid should play with them only to realize they don't want to because he is too different. The critter then plays with the new kid Zack and realizes that he and Zack like a lot of the same things. When they decide to build a clubhouse, his friends want to join, and Zack allows them. The group of friends all get along at this point and Zack is still the critter best friend even though he has new friends.

Reaction: I feel like this would be a really good book for getting new students in the classroom, and it's a really good life lesson. Even though someone may be seen as too different, it doesn't mean that they aren't really cool people that you could get along with.

Extension: I would actually use this in my classroom after two or three months of the children getting to know me. One day I would come into class dressed different and see the reactions of the students. I would read the book and demonstrate myself that even though I'm dressed differently I'm still the same teacher that's fun! ( )

Everyone is unique and special and that is a good thing

I’ve bought this children’s book for my daughter. She soon memorized the tale and learned when to turn the pages at the right time even though she hasn’t started school and doesn’t know how to read yet.

Some of my friends thought I’ve already taught her to read. She’d get this book from her small bookshelf (next to mine, filled with various titles and genres meant for research and reading pleasure). With a huge smile, she’d turn the pages and start telling the story to them by using the exact words written on the pages of the book.

The lesson incorporated into this tale for kids is about learning how to value one’s “uniqueness” and “embracing others’ differences”. It encourages kids to see that differences are special. The lesson is not forced. Rather, it is told in an engaging tale that a child could easily grasp and remember even as she grows older. I like this book because of that and because it has been an instrument in starting my daughter off to her own “reading” journey as she explores the magical charm of the written word. Her tastes in literature became more varied through the years, but she has kept this as one of her favorites.
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