It's Hard To Be Different and Not Easy To Be Small

Here is a story for people who know that a small book can make a big difference for anyone who has ever felt unfit, unworthy, or unwelcome. Through colorful, instructive illustrations, this book presents situations for intergenerational discussions of values, behavior, and community dynamics. It is a read-about think-about book to encourage kindness, cooperation, and character development in a diverse society. Written in engaging rhyme, "It's Hard To Be Different and Not Easy To Be Small, A Children's Book to Share with Adults in Celebration of Diversity" portrays acceptance, inclusion, and tolerance as foundations for successful communities. It depicts the function of each individual in the greater good and points out the importance of developing both a social conscience and responsible civic discourse. The narrative and the pictures are ideal for values education and can benefit even the littlest learners, one page per lesson. This book is dedicated to a future where there is a peaceful place for each of us, in a world big enough for us all, in our journeys of life. We all matter more when we all matter more.

This is not just one story. It is a book about everyone and for everyone. Specifically, it is for anyone who has ever felt unfit, unworthy, or unwelcome, which is likely each of us in our journeys of life. It is a series of vignettes held together by the common purpose of celebrating diversity. In some way it relates to every life story. This is a book of healing and hope, of tolerance, of kindness, of personal reflection, of beliefs and ethics, of how we conduct ourselves. Written in engaging verse and colorfully illustrated, it shows the gamut of our differences by age, race, gender, size, by disability, or not. There are homeless people, two mommies, two daddies, elderly, people in wheelchairs, bald children, tiny children, skinny people, fat people, adolescents. There are examples of people who might be judged based on their appearances such as with crutches, or wheelchairs, or clothes to work in the fields, or just obvious differences from ourselves. The story in this book is in our own thoughts and reflections on our own lives. How do we treat others? Early in the book, the scenes offer problematic situations where adults are unconcerned, even callous, about children's actions and circumstances. The adults, themselves, don't model good behavior. Clearly children are marginalized for being too small or too inexperienced. Those who can help, aren't. Later in the narrative, there is some repetition of scenes to show the improvement for everyone when we support each other. How we respond to each other, to animals, to our environment, all become deeds of our lives. That we are all capable of living peacefully in a diverse world, is demonstrated as the narrative comes to a serene conclusion. This book promotes discussions of social conscience and character through descriptions and illustrations of commonplace situations. Scenes are set in homes, parks, playgrounds, ski slopes, a lake shore. The narrative and illustrations can be considered piecemeal or in the entirety depending on the intent of the presentation and the age of the reader. The content is rich with prompts for reflective, writing exercises. We all matter more when we all matter more.

With backgrounds in writing, teaching, and farming, Kathleen brings a varied background to each writing project. She has written poetry, advertising, a newspaper column, and features for independent living/agricultural magazines. As a former reading teacher, Kathleen endeavors to make children's books thematically rich to engender discussion and character development. Kathleen is also the author/publisher of an adult novel dedicated to contemporary migrant workers entitled, Another Day, Otro Día published in July 2015. Themes of grief, loss, and empowerment were presented in her second book, "The Macaroni Necklace and The Pink Panda Bear, A Story About Saying Goodbye" written and published by Kathleen in 2017. The current book project, "It's Hard To Be Different and Not Easy To Be Small….", is the second collaboration for Kathleen and her cousin, Patty Fleckenstein, as the illustrator. The guiding principle for Kathleen's writing is to publish books for a positive difference in ourselves, each other, and our world.