Our Diversity Makes Us Stronger
Written by Elizabeth Cole
Illustrated by Julia Kamenshihova
Our children become what we allow them to be exposed to physically, emotionally, and
environmentally. Sometimes as parents such exposure is difficult for us to control but
there are opportunities for us to make a difference. Here’s a wonderful book for your 5-
to 8-year-old to help start conversations about diversity and to celebrate everyone’s
uniqueness.
The author has chosen to tell this story through the eyes of a little boy who has a brand-
new pair of glasses. He sees them as big, round, and blue! He does not like them
because this will make him different from other children at school. He is afraid he will be
teased. With fun illustrations and the story line in rhyme, we can all learn through Nick
that “diversity is of value and that we are all different in some special way.”
I like the way the author has included so many areas of a child’s life that highlight
differences. These differences do not just highlight skin color or hair style, but also
includes the activities children choose, not just baseball or ballet, but also their accents,
languages, wishes, and dreams for their futures. Differences include emotional
responses to familiar situations like waiting in line or feeling sad or scared. The author
clearly shows that no matter how different we may think we are, at our core we all
experience love, grief, anger, fears and so much more.
Our Diversity Makes Us Stronger is the fourth book of a series “World of Kids
Emotions.” I found the characters relatable, the illustrations vibrant, the message a
vehicle to move us all to a gentler, kinder community, and appreciative of all God’s
children. Other books in this series explore topics such as anger, anxiety, and kindness.
If your library does not have copies, they are readily available for purchase online for a
very modest cost. Some of these books have been published in other languages.
You might be interested to know that Elizabeth Cole is a pen name for a collaborative
team of educators, parents, and child development experts dedicated to creating
engaging books that support children’s emotional growth and social-emotional learning.
Our Diversity Makes Us Stronger certainly is an excellent example of their work.
In my daily prayer diary, I find these words written on an index card:
“God, you call us to this place, where we know your love and grace. Here your blessed
Spirit free, makes of us one family; makes our rich diversity richer still in unity; makes
our many voices one joined in praise with Christ, your son.”
Yes, our diversity can make us stronger.