Jij, tussen vele anderen

“No One Else Like You” written by Siska Goeminne and illustrated by Merel Eyckerman, doesn’t follow a character, but approaches diversity from a distance. “In this world there are more than seven billion people,” it begins, then explores the many things those people do. Some work, some drive around. Some have tattoos. Some people are happy and some people are sad. People believe all kinds of things and practice all forms of religion. Everyone is different. Those differences, however, are what ultimately unite us: We’re all different, and that’s what we all have in common. The illustrations do a nice job of conveying the great diversity of people in the world, but it might have been helpful to introduce a character or point of view to help bridge the distance between young readers and that large world around them. While readers might see a relatable character or two in one of the many beautiful representations of people around the globe, it’s hard to inspire true empathy from a bird’s-eye view. That said, one of my new all-time favorite literary quotes is from this picture book: “People are fragile. You shouldn’t drop them, because they might fall to pieces.” (The New York Times, augustus 2017)