You and Me

'If everything looked the same to you and me, how boring would that be?'

You and Me, by Caley Nunnally is a book with a beautiful sentiment worth sharing with young children and families. It begins by drawing attention to all of our physical features that we have in common but how these are different for each and every one of us. The book then moves to our behaviours that may be similar and different to each other, such as liking or not liking dogs. This then leads to other sensory differences we can have, and begins a highly appropriate exploration of how some of us hear, smell, taste and touch differently to others. This is a valuable story for young children to begin understanding the differences that may be less obvious at first and hopefully will encourage discussion and understanding of our differing sensory needs.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This book is full of insight perfect for both children AND adults! I enjoyed how each of the senses were highlighted to show how we all experience the world differently. Our sensory preferences are neither good nor bad.. they are just a part of us! I would definitely read this book with my preschool aged son and ask him about his own sensory preferences as we read through the book. Would recommend!

I absolutely loved this book! I love that the focus is inclusivity. This focus is so important to teach at a young age. I also loved the tips at the end. The illustrations were great as well.

I just read You and Me by Caley Nunnally and found it to be a great book for children ages 3 and up. Colorful illustrations and easy to read and understand.

This Author clearly knows how to entertain children and I highly recommend this book.

Sandy K

Lovely book, written to be accessible to the smallest of children yet in such a way that it’s still relevant to be shared with upper primary aged children. Fabulous for opening conversations about similarities and differences and encouraging acceptance of these.

You and Me by Caley Nunnally is a wonderful picturebook that uses the senses to encourage readers to embrace diversity. Through seeing, hearing, tasting, touching, and smelling, Nunnally draws attention to the range of thoughts, feelings and opinions individuals may have, and validates those differences.

Nunnally's empowering book celebrates the little things that set us apart – from appearances to interests – and teaches children the many ways we express our thoughts through body language. With adorable illustrations on every page, a "squelch!" here and a "splash!" there, You and Me is entertaining, engaging and educational, all whilst promoting a powerful message about the importance of individuality.

Featuring a page of talking points at the end, this book is the perfect way to start conversations about diversity and accepting others, or about ways of identifying and regulating your emotions. This is the ideal book for young readers just starting to read by themselves and even more fun for those with the opportunity to read with an adult.

Thank you to Caley Nunnally and Ninewise Publishing for the ARC of You and Me! As a fellow speech-language pathologist, there is so much I love about this book!

First, the book highlights different ways two people might react to the same sensory experiences (ex: seeing a dog, hearing loud music, touching gooey slime). It not only encourages children to recognize differences but to celebrate them, asking the question, "If we were all the same, how boring would that be?"

Since the book goes through each of the senses with pictures and examples, it would be perfect for introducing a Five Senses unit in the classroom.

It's also a fantastic tool for social-emotional learning as it can be used to work on perspective-taking, emotions, and social inferencing with all ages. I think it's great that tips from the author are included.

During a recent social group session with older elementary students, I read the eBook and had students find out one another's likes/dislikes and then compare/contrast them.

To expand upon the lesson on perspective-taking, we talked about how our different experiences often influence our preferences/reactions...

For example, someone who was chased by a dog as a young child might now be scared when they see a puppy... whereas someone who has had only positive experiences with dogs might feel happy/excited in the same situation.

I love that the book's sweet, detailed illustrations also showcase diversity (including a wheelchair user and even an AAC user, which is not often depicted).

This book is a must-have for SLPs, OTs, SEL teachers and other educators, and I can't wait to get my hard copy!

Thanks NetGalley for the preview!

Darling illustrations and great book about how everyone is different! A valuable look into teaching kids how to notice differences. Very interactive.

When teaching kindergarten, we normally talk about the physical differences that make us all the same and different, so this "differences" book about the senses would be a great addition! Each sense has an example and a counterexample, with various language tied to the senses. A great reminder that not everyone has to like the same things.