A very special picture book that supports the adage that there is more that unites us than divides us. Along Came a Different just goes to show how much better we can all be when we come together to find common ground as friends. Every bookshelf should have a copy. Although Tom McLaughlin, the author and illustrator of this fantastic picture book Along Came A Different, has created plenty of children’s books, this is my first experience of his work. I really enjoyed this picture book. Not only did it entertain my children and I, it is also a resourceful book that I could use in a teaching setting.

Along Came a Different is a one-of-a-kind visually appealing picture book by an established children’s book author and illustrator Tom McLaughlin which focuses on teaching the concepts of differences, social acceptance, and friendships to young children. A timely modern-day classic that welcomes differences and embraces change.There are plenty of teachable moments to be drawn from Along Came A Different. As an educator in an early childhood setting, I could envisage using this text to highlight concepts of same & different, rules, friendship, colour and shape. These ideas are all wrapped up in a format that is accessible for the readership it is intended for, those in the young reader category, aged 5 and under.

Reds love being red. Yellows love being yellow. And Blues love being blue. The problem is that they just don't like each other. The Nottinghill Carnival takes central stage in this story about families, memories and the power of dance and festivals. Author Yaba Badoe tells... But one day, along comes a different colour who likes Reds, Yellows and Blues, and suddenly everything starts to change. In this story of hope and endurance, we follow a scientist and her team during their search for the elusive 'Giant Arctic Jellyfish'.Tom McLaughlin's beautifully illustrated book is perfect for imaginative children ( Guardian on THE CLOUDSPOTTER) Galactic resonances call to mind not only Oliver Jeffers' star-catching protagonists, but also a hint of The Little Prince ( Guardian on UP, UP AND AWAY) Bestselling author Alexandra Christo, author of TikTok sensation To Kill a Kingdom, introduces her new book, The Night Hunt (Hot Key Books), a dark... David Almond introduces his new picture book, A Way to the Stars, a story about perseverance and finding a way to make dreams come true. Established author and illustrator in the children’s book field, Tom McLaughlin has released a brand new picture book for younger readers (0-5 category) titled, Along Came A Different. It is a visually appealing storybook that zones on in concepts of difference and friendship. Along Came A Different is presented in a format that is very accessible to young readers.

Reds love red. They love nothing more than singing praises of themselves and agree that red is the best thing to be..until some yellows appear who are just as convinced that they are the best thing ever. Add some blue to the mix and chaos arises as they squabble and make rules to avoid each other. Then some more ‘differents’ appear and it gets harder and harder to enforce the rules…Along Came A Different is a brilliant story about friendships and how to make them. The story begins with the reds, they only play with the other reds because anything red is the best thing ever! The yellows only play the yellows because they only like yellow. The yellows don't like the reds because red music was too loud and red apples are too round! So, the red and yellows end up fighting. Then, along came a different and it was blue that would only play with other blues. The blues, reds and yellows all disliked each other, they fought, and things got worse and worse. They tried to make it better and that only worked for a little while. But then came ANOTHER different and another and another. Until a very, very different arrived, the multi-coloured star. He liked red and yellow and blue and then suddenly everyone realised that being different was okay and they all started to like each other. I think this story is absolutely brilliant! I think it would be used effectively in schools, with classes, small groups or even individuals. The story is simple to follow for children, for all ages, sparks lots of insightful questions and makes children think about friendships and how others might feel to not be included. Through the use of shapes and colour rather than people, the story isn't explicitly about children so it could be for anyone, of any age! I would thoroughly recommend this to other teachers, SENCOs and even parents that have children/classes with friendship issues. Other titles on this theme include Mixed (Arree Chung) and All Are Welcome (Alexandra Penfold, Suzanne Kaufman) Picture Book/ Ages 5+ / Reviewed by Lauren Maidman, teacher