Analysis Of Same, Same But Different

Same, Same But Different by Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw
The book that I chose for this assignment is Same, Same But Different by Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw. At first, I thought it would be very difficult to find a book that was suitable for my presentation and it was not until I went to my school practicum that I found one. The theme for the week was rainbows, colours and diversity and to help children understand more about the different cultures around the world, my mentor teacher read Kostecki-Shaw’s story. The story caught my attention through its detailed and beautifully illustrated drawings. I was nervous at first to read the story to my group because I was afraid that they might not find it as interesting as I did or might not see the significance
During the discussion, something that surprised me was the fact that my peers agreed with most of my ideas and could relate to having a pen pal. They compared their experience with the characters in the book and explained how just like Elliot and Kailash, they learned a lot about their friend from another country through letters, pictures and email. Moreover, I was surprised to find that the story had no conflict or problem in it. Before reading the story, I assumed that there would be some sort of problem, such as bullying, where in this case could have been one child stating that his culture is better than the other child’s. However, rather than being a book that focuses on problem solving, it is a didactic story, as it teaches readers about acceptance, difference, friendship and diversity. I also assumed that my peers would comment on the illustrations, as it seemed to be a little misleading in some cases. My peers did comment on it, but not in the way I expected. They shared an opposite opinion with me, believing that the extra details and extreme images of people riding elephants or playing music in the middle of the streets could help children to better understand the variety of activities and things that go on in India and America. We thus concluded that the illustrations are not the most realistic, but it helps open a child’s mind to the different things that
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.