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

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.