This is a beautifully written story about two boys, Kailash from India and Elliot from America who develop a friendship, while being on opposite sides of the world. They become pen pals through a school project and send letters and share pictures about their worlds with one another. Koestecki-Shaw details the unique features of each child’s culture and repeats the popular saying from Southeast Asia, “same, same, but different.” By using repetition, it emphasizes the significance of diversity and the idea of being the same, yet different throughout the text. We noticed that she writes in a very positive tone. She celebrates the differences between the two characters and allows the reader to see the American and Indian cultures side-by-side. Within our group, we agreed that the book is more suitable for children in grades one to five. This picture book can help them to explore new cultures, as well as their own and teach them that even though they might look different compared to others, they are all the same in some ways. Children that are younger may still be able to understand the picture book through the images and if it is read and explained to them. The story also highlights the importance of human rights, as it shows how everyone’s culture is important though the diverse illustrations of buildings, school life and home/family life.…