Henrik Hovland

John Jenson feels different. When he looks around him, he feels alone. He decides to change things about himself, so he doesn't feel different from everyone else. But he discovers that maybe being different isn’t all that bad. The overall message of the book is to embrace what makes you different, because that is what makes you, you! I love the message of the book and think it is a good message to send to children, but I was not the biggest fan of this book. I feel the story was a little random and all over the place. I especially didn’t understand the ending where it randomly mentioned Norway’s constitution day. The message was good, but the arrangement of the book was poor.… (plus d'informations)

I'm of the view that "different" is not necessarily a bad thing, so I like to seek out books that stand out from the mainstream American children's litterature, and this book certainly indulged me. Quirky, yet mundane and understated is the story of John Jensen, who indeed is quite different from most of his fellow townsmen in Oslo, Norway. After he tries to transform himself to better fit in, he comes to the understanding that maybe it's okay to be different ... , and he's right! The text is simple and matter of fact. The illustrations are too, but they have this "plastic" quality that makes you want to touch and rub them. My favorite line is when Dr. Field says "Take me for example. I have quite big ears.":
" ... and a big nose, John Jensen thinks. He doesn't say so out loud. He just thinks it to himself."

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