Whoever You Are

and#8220;Little one, / whoever you are, / wherever you are, / there are little ones / just like you / all over the world.and#8221; So begins the Australian author Mem Foxand#8217;s joyful picture book Whoever You Are, a celebration of the worldand#8217;s diverse cultures, both our similarities and differences. Leslie Strauband#8217;s innovative, colorful, folk artand#8211;style oil paintings of children from all corners of the globe are bordered with photographs of hand-carved, bejeweled framesand#8212;and they all reflect Foxand#8217;s message that no matter where we come from, within our hearts and#8220;Joys are the same, / and love is the same. / Pain is the same, / and blood is the same.and#8221; A gem!

"An essential book that acknowledges in the simplest of terms our common humanity."--Kirkus Reviews

Every day all over the world, children are laughing and crying, playing and learning, eating and sleeping. They may not look the same or speak the same language. Their lives may be quite different. But inside, they are alike. Stirring words and bold paintings weave their way around our earth, across cultures and generations. At a time when tolerance still needs to be learned, Whoever You Are urges us to accept our differences, to recognize our similarities, and--most important--to rejoice in both.

A celebration of diverse childhoods, and the essential things that make us all the same.

Every day all over the world, children are laughing and crying, playing and learning, eating and sleeping. They may not look the same. They may not speak the same language. Their lives may be quite different from each other. But inside, they are all alike. Stirring words and bold paintings weave their way around our earth, across cultures and generations and remind children to accept differences, to recognize similarities, and--most importantly--to rejoice in both.

A celebration of diversity, now in a fresh new format

MEM FOX is the author of many acclaimed books, including Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes,andnbsp;Possum Magic, Koala Lou, Time for Bed, and, for adults, Reading Magic: Why Reading Aloud to Our Children Will Change Their Lives Forever. She lives in Adelaide, Australia.Leslie Staub's paintings have been exhibited in galleries throughout the United States. In addition to her books for Harcourt, she has illustrated Lives: Poems About Famous Americans. She lives in New Orleans, Louisiana.