I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Aya and Papaya books always have a great message. The pictures are always bright and colorful. This was another good one.

I have been reading the Aya and Papaya series to my grandchildren and they really like them. In this story, Aya and her family are at the airport heading to her grandparents. The airport is bustling with many different people of varying ethnicities. Aya has a lot of questions and wants everyone to be the same. She learns that it is wonderful to be different from others, that is what makes us all special.

I really liked the images in this story, they are nice, bright and clear. My grandchildren loved this story. My grandson goes to a very multicultural school so was able to identify classmates of the varying heritages. The message of being different is special and we should appreciate our own as well as other's differences. A cute story about how everyone is unique and different in their own ways. This was an enjoyable story and I liked the ending with the statement, "From that day on, whenever Aya saw someone different, she was happy to see another person in the world who was special, just like her." I know it sounds quite simplistic, but for young kids, it is a wonderful way to share this message.

Aya and her family are off to visit her grandparents. Of course she is taking her favourite doll Papaya along with her on the plane ride as they are inseparable.

When she arrives at the airport she discovers a whole host of people who are different than her. She hears different languages and observes different dress styles and behaviours. This makes her very curious and her little mind starts swirling with questions about the diversity that she sees all around her.

Her parents answer her queries with patience and love. Even her big brother Faz chips in and explains to her the wonderful aspects of each person being unique and special in their own way.... just like she is.

"From that day on, whenever Aya saw someone different, she was happy to see another person in the world who was special, just like her."


This book celebrates the differences of people and how those differences are to be cherished. The illustrations are crisp, colourful and vibrant. This is the third book in the "Aya and Papaya" series. The book's message is very relevant, positive and necessary for our world today. I definitely recommend it.

The title and pretty cover catch the heart and eye. The message is wonderful. It does get a bit wordy for young readers. The art is pretty but I would say more appealing for young readers while the text was for a little older readers. So it seems a little disjointed, but it is a worthwhile book and message.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with this to review.

It was...cute, and disappointing a bit. It definitely has a great message. The illustrations are pretty good though they didn’t always feel like they fit perfectly with the story. The text was a bit wordy and a bit too on the nose about the lessons this book is trying to teach. Overall it’s alright and worthwhile, but not my favorite.

This is the third installment in the AYA and PAPAYA series.

Aya is excited about the prospect of going on a flight journey with her family in a bid to visit her grandparents.
Whilst on the Airport, she comes across people hailing from different parts of the world. Curiosity gets the better of her as she starts to quiz her parents about the discernable differences in their way of dressing, physical appearance, lingo, etc. Her parents listen to her flurry of questions and answer her questions. Her brother too chips in by the elucidating about the beauty of the being different and special. The illustrations were so cute. I absolutely loved the sketches of Aya. It reflected her innocence perfectly. It captured her emotions so well - Happy, Scared, Suprised, Curious. I'd love to check the other books of this series.

This is an amazing book: the pictures are magnificent and very colourful, they express perfectly how Aya feels and what she sees. They stand for the notion of difference and illustrate perfectly Aya's story! Aya is a little girl about to go on a trip and she notices all kinds of diffrences between herself and other people (languages, skin colour...) and that is the perfect time for her parents to make sure she understands how important differences are and that they are exactly what makes all of us special.
A lovely book I warmly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy of this book. I received this in exchange for my honest review.



I'm picturing reading this to my 4 year old before we go on a trip to the airport. I have a hard time with the story saying that Aya was thinking this hard about differences among people... "Aya thought about what Faz was trying to explain to her. She realized that because she grew up listening to her parents speak different languages, she learnt how to understand and speak those languages herself. " I would find this in depth thought process from anyone under 9 to be very unlikely and would have found this part more believable had one of the adults been telling her.

Stories about new places like airports and hospitals are good for little ones. That way they can learn about those huge places that are scary. I like that it talks about the differences among people while there so maybe some awkward conversations can be avoided. I remember one time in a store my four year old asked me why the woman's skin was so black, I was so embarrassed. I live in small town middle of nowhere so my children just haven't had a lot of experience with different culture and people who look different. This book would be great for that!

This is a great story to show children that we are all unique in our own ways and that is what males each one of us special. I read it to the children I nanny and they definitely enjoyed the illustrations. They didn't seem to understand the underlying message as much as I would of like them to but I think they got the overall idea. They have asked for it a few more times since I first read it to them so I know they enjoyed it. I am grateful that I received an ARC from Netgalley in return for an honest review and the children are also grateful that they get to enjoy a new exciting book.

AYA and PAPAYA Discover What Makes Everyone Special by MQ. Troubador Publishing Limited. Matador. Children's Fiction. Publication date 29 April 2019. Archive Date 29 May 2019. Ebook edition. 38 pages. 5 Stars.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/PAPAYA-Discover-Makes-Everyone-Special-ebook/dp/B07RBFQH1N/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=9781838599249&linkCode=qs&qid=1557798220&s=books&sr=1-1

Aya & Papaya books are easy to love—text and vibrant illustrations fluidly commingle with great spiritual messages. Easy for your child to relate to. Sparks inquisitiveness, fun, humor, kindness and understanding within a family context. I love all of their books thus far. Highly recommend!

I really liked the images in this story, they are nice, bright and clear for little ones and I liked the underlying themes to the story too. This is a perfect book for young children aged from 3 upwards to learn about appreciating the differences of other people and how everyone is unique and different in their own ways. This is the third book I have read featuring Aya and I thought it was well put together, an enjoyable story and I liked the ending too. It is 3.5 stars from me for this one rounded up to 4 stars for Goodreads and Amazon!

A great book to introduce children to diversity and what makes us special in our own unique ways. This is my first book from the series and I will definitely be checking out the other titles. I loved little Aya and her fantastic family. As far as the message is concerned, it is difficult to find something more timely and necessary in our world.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

This perfectly illustrated story is ideal for any little one preparing to go on a trip. The book makes a point of describing the busy and eclectic population of an airport. That's not to say the story's main message is not as important. At the heart of Aya and Papaya is the celebration of differences. It fits well within the airport location and will entertain any little one in your family.

Thank you Netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoyed this fun, colorful storybook. Perfect for older toddlers with a great message about appreciating differences. Told in the perspective of a little girl who's perceptive enough to notice that people look and speak differently than she does. Great read.

While I appreciate what this book was trying to do, I don't think it quite got there.

Aya and her doll head to the airport with the family to get on a plane to go visit the grandparents. At the airport, Aya sees lots of different people speaking different languages. At first, she's disturbed by the differences and wants everyone to be the same. But eventually she realizes that differences are what make us special and are therefore good.

Now, I don't have a problem with the overall premise, but the way it's handled is a little unrealistic. Every time Aya has a question, she thinks about it and then comes to a realization. For a child young enough to be carrying around her doll everywhere she goes, I kind of doubt that she would be able to come to all of these conclusions by herself without a bit of help. This "think-and-realize" thing also makes the book seem kind of repetitive.

What really irks me about the book, though, is the last page, where the story concludes with:

From that day on, whenever Aya saw someone different, she was happy to see another person in the world who was special, just like her.

What's wrong with that? Well, the fact that Aya is portrayed as pretty white, for one thing, and the "different" people are clearly Asian. It seems like "othering" to me. What are non-white kids supposed to take from this? That they're "different"? Why do they have to be the "different" ones? (I'm sure Aya would be viewed as the "different" one in many places. The book could've gone into this, but it doesn't.)

The illustrations are okay, bright and colourful, with simple lines. But I'm still confused about some of the colours. Aya makes reference to her "blue" dress when it's clearly purple, and the toast the family is eating for breakfast is a sickly shade of green. Not very appetizing...

Because of the unrealistic child main character, the "othering", and the somewhat heavy-handed nature of the message, I can't really recommend this one. The intent was good... but the execution wasn't.