At first, the book didn't make sense, we're already in the middle of a story of a pretty bird who brought this girl ZaZa in a wonderland. Then they meet other animals. But at least, at the end, the author wrote about the moral of the story. Maybe a child's brain is more active than mine, and can create a story to make sense of the whole book. But it was good nevertheless.

This is such a sweet story teaching children about diversity.

In her dreams, ZaZa adventures with new and diverse friends through Sokahland, learning how their differences help the island in diverse ways. The pictures are beautiful and vibrant, with the adorable bird Carnival leading the way to introduce each new character with fun adventures.

I would highly recommend this title to any junior school audience, both for the lessons on diversity, and the wonderful storytelling.

Thank you #NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for the opportunity to read and review this title.

This is the story of a girl Zaza who was on a boat ride to some place with her school mates. She slept during the tour and dreamed of a place named 'Sokahland'. There she met with different animals who are unique in their own way of helping others.
Dreaming is very powerful and self-helping therapy. One must not be objectified for dreaming but should be encouraged to work in a manner to improve the skill.

𝘿𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝘼𝙢𝙖𝙯𝙞𝙣𝙜
by Kai-Nneka Townsend, A. Xavier Johnson

🌈𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮 𝗞𝗶𝗱 & 𝗛𝗲𝗿 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀🦄

This book gets a 👍🏻👍🏻

Favorite part: Where she was at Sokahland. All of the animals.

What did you learn: it’s ok to be different.

-M
~~~~~~~
📚𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮 𝗠𝗼𝗺 & 𝗛𝗲𝗿 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀👩‍👧

Initial thoughts: so cute, will be purchasing a physical copy.

It’s been a couple weeks since we first read this book and I’m still thinking about it. The adventure ZaZa takes you on is fun and the lesson on diversity is not stifling. While you are learning that “Different and Amazing” go hand-in-hand, you are also learning fun little tidbits about the animals encountered.

Though the story is a little longer (30 pages), it worth every single page. This is a must buy!

#DifferentandAmazing #justakidandherbooks #MReviews #NetGalley #ARCReview #newrelease #childrensbooks #picturebooks #diversityinbooks

Thanks NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for the ARC.

Zaza takes a ride on a boat and dreams of Sokahland where each animal she meets is celebrated for his or her unique way of helping the other animals.
I love her creative imagination, how Zaza learns to celebrate differences.
With bright, beautiful illustrations and heartwarming story, this book is a fun read for all ages I will read this to my nephews at bedtime

I love that this is a picture book on diversity, self-love and friendship for children between the ages of 4-8 years old. It is a great way to get children into the mind set of acceptance. The pictures were colorful an would keep a child’s interest throughout the book. If you want a positive book with a great message for your child, this is a good one to pick!

Different and Amazing is such an amazing book. This book teach child to embrace their unique and proud. As someone who live in US but not a white people , I think this book helps BIPOC people

This book would absolutely be one I would want in my daughters library. I love the story and illustrations but the message is the best part. Love the ending too!

This book, with the wonderful colorful illustrations made me smile throughout while reading it. It was really fast paced and beautiful. I loved it,

Who says you can't adventure in a dream? This one is very whimsical and fun. The illustrations are bright and beautifully done. The font was meh.

this book is indeed celebrating diversity, mixed with fabel so the differences between each character are striking. it has little twist at the end which was nice too

Different and Amazing, the second book in the Good Character series by Kai-Nneka Townsend and A. Xavier Johnson, is a captivating story that celebrates diversity and offers a new perspective on the things that make you different.

ZaZa's dream takes her on an adventure to Sokahland where she follows the sound of drums beating in the distance, running into a cast of animals along the way. ZaZa recognises that all of the animals are different, in shape, colour, size, strength but it's these differences that make the world such a great place to be!

This book encourages readers to embrace the qualities that set them apart, to acknowledge their talents and appreciate those in others too. Such a lovely message to send out to impressionable young readers, with vivid illustrations on every page.

Meh. I was a fan of this childrens book. It was a nice concept but the delivery wasn’t well. I’m glad I was able to read if before I purchased it for my children.

Different and Amazing by Kai-Kneka Townsend, A. Xavier Johnson - 5/5

I love this story. Reading out loud to my littles, we followed along with ZaZa as she has a fun filled dream learning about how everyone is different and brings something else to those around them and the world. These are great lessons to dive into with anyone who will listen. Diversity, uniqueness, our gifts and strength and our selflove. This was both an entertaining story as must as it was educational. We loved the bright colors throughout and the animals that shared with ZaZa what made them different and why it is important.

Bright and vivid illustrations accompany an important message about celebrating diversity, our individuality and uniqueness, our gifts and strengths as well as the theme of self-love.

Diversity is an important conversation to have with children who come in all shapes and sizes. It is full of positivity, powerful messages and inspirational prose. It is a delightfully empowering book that all children should read to remind them that they should embrace who they are inside and out. It is a perfect book for budding independent readers. ZaZa explores each animal in her dream world and how they bring their own unique gifts to the table to help others around them.

Plenty of great lessons for kids to learn. This story was both entertaining and educational, which can be a tricky balance to maintain in a children’s book, and I will be suggesting it to teachers whenever possible. Incorporating social-emotional topics such as this into children's picture books is a tried and true way to teach important life skills in a way that is fun. This would be an amazing addition for classrooms, libraries, counselling offices and more.

I really enjoyed this book with my 4 year old who has been in need of longer stories. It was great to read about Zaza who was learning the concept of being different and what everyone has to offer to help this imaginary place in her dream. The illustrations where so beautiful I loved the colourful macaw bird who was as a guide to this beautiful place in Zaza’a dream.

Different and Amazing by Kai-Nneka Soyini Townsend & A. Xavier Johnson

Release date : November 4th

Thank you to the author, publishers and netgalley for my eARC of this one.

This is a children's story that shows us how everyone is different, but also special and unique too.

I liked the adventure the main character had in the book and the illustrations worked with the narrative well to make an enjoyable and bright book that I am sure will be equally as enjoyable to other readers too.

Different And Amazing
A Story Celebrating Diversity (A-Z of Good Character Series Children’s Books)
by Kai-Nneka Townsend, A. Xavier Johnson


My son enjoys the pictures. He enjoyed Zaza following the animals around. Carnival is so fast in this story we enjoyed following Carnival about to different places in the story.
He throughly enjoyed this story. Dreams filled with friends who help give substance to abstract feelings and less tangible words help people process ideas and difficult concepts.
The overarching theme here is diversity. Celebration of diversity and the incredible contribution that individuals bring to the world through their unique qualities.


@booksgosoical #childrensbooks #childrensfiction #DifferentAndAmazing

This is the second book in this series that seems to have stalled in its production.

The first one was about kindness and I preferred it to this one if I am being honest.

ZaZa is able to process ideas and difficult concepts through dreams filled with friends who help give substance to abstract feelings and less tangible words.
The theme here is diversity. The celebration of difference and the amazing contribution individuals bring through their unique qualities.

I like the fact that through ZaZa our children are introduced to a magical world of colour and the wider enjoyment of life. Here the talents and gifts of various animals and a wise tree bring clarity to what different traits and talents can bring to a wider community. From a parrots colour and friendly presence to a mighty tree that brings clarity and perception.

What is lacking that made the first book more memorable and child focused are the wider learning activities and further ideas to explore.

However, where I think this series can develop is in that these consuming stories are full of life and colour, ably supported by wonderful illustrations. I believe young readers and pre-school tots will love to listen to the adventures of ZaZa and learn new words and those, hard to put into words, abstract ideas.

I love to read my kids books about diversity. I want them to grow up to be exactly who they were meant to be. This book is a sweet story about how what makes us different might just be our greatest gift. The pictures were bright and fun for my kids and the story was adorable.