Bein' with You This Way

Written by W. Nikola-Lisa
Illustrated by Michael Bryant
Published in 1994

Why we chose this book:
As with many books, the cover grabbed my attention - kids playing together on a playground. The synopsis felt timely, so I contacted the publisher, Lee and Low, and they sent me a review copy.

Mom's Review

Children with different appearances play together, noting that the differences do not matter.

Now that the weather is starting to warm up, we will be going to the park more and more. T is often more comfortable observing the other children, and has been uncertain when invited by other kids to play. We'd like to help him develop comfort interacting with new playmates, and a book that shows children happily interacting at the park lays the groundwork for that.

The illustrations show all sorts of activities, from swinging and climbing to watching bugs and playing leapfrog. The little girl from the cover calls the children together to play and as they do, she sings about the children's differences that are ultimately irrelevant. T's interpretation of the book was that it introduced different body parts.

Son's Review
(age 3)
After reading:
Son: Why does it say, "We're on our way"?

Mom: I think it mean that they're on their way to growing up. It also says that they are all different, yet just the same. How might they be different?

Son: How they have different skin and different arms and different legs.

Mom: But how are they all they same?

Son: They all have eyes, skin, mouths.

Mom: What do you think the book is trying to remind us?

Son: That we all have body parts.

Mom: And do we all look exactly the same?

Son: Yeah.

Mom: Did you have a favorite part of the book?

Son: It reminds you... if you don't know if you have a mouth, it tells you if you have a mouth.

Mom: Did you have a favorite page? Why?

Son: The leg page. How it tells you there are short legs and big legs.

Mom: I liked singing it. Did you like that?

Son: No. I didn't like that.

Mom: What would you like better?

Son: If you could talk, not sing.
(My kid already doesn't want me to sing! I thought that didn't come till later!)

Mom: Does this book make you want to do anything?

Son: Snap my fingers.
(The little girl invites her playmates to snap their fingers.)

Mom: And, finally, what should we know about this book?

Son: I like the body part. And you should know that it's a body book.