This is a cute story, and we always need picture books about diversity, accepting differences, and overcoming prejudice. This one tackles all three. I thought the moral was a little heavy-handed, though. And even though Miki and Raffa are kids, I thought that their immediate prejudice toward each other was unrealistic, especially because they’re basing their prejudice not on the fact that they are completely different species and vastly different sizes, but because they sleep in different places. The illustrations are pleasing to the eye, but nothing monumental. Since there are so many books about overcoming prejudice on the current publishing scene, this one just doesn’t do anything to really stand out. I think it’s worth a read, but I would sooner purchase or recommend other titles that tackle the same subject a little more smoothly.

This is a great little book about embracing our differences and acknowledging that despite the fact that someone might look different or come from somewhere different, there are lots of other commonalities that can tie us together as friends. The illustrations are fun and engaging, and the storyline sparks great conversations with your children about friendship. I would recommend.

This is a beautifully illustrated children's picture book that shares the reminder that we can find common ground with others, even if we look and act differently in many ways. This is a great book for 4-6-year-olds who are starting to really recognize the people around them and what makes someone unique.

Recognizing that what is on the insides counts is such a great talking point of this book and our 6-year-old loved reading Just Like You. A big thank you to NetGalley and Lion Hudson for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

This was a lovely book about meeting new people, finding common ground, and becoming friends :-) A young meerkat in a zoo gets a new neighbor, and hears that they will be "just like you"! But when it turns out to be a giraffe, they don't see how they have anything in common - they eat differently, sleep differently, etc. But then of course they bond over a shared experience and shared reactions (no spoilers!) and are best friends forever!

Besides the wonderful message to children, I also loved the illustrations - especially capturing the height differential between the two main characters <3 - and a wonderful use of colors!

A lovely little story about friendship between two very different animals. Teaches children that differences aren’t as import as they seem, not to judge on first impressions and finding common interests. It’s illustrations are adorable and fit so well.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

This is a charming book focusing on a friendship between two very different animals. Miki, the meerkat, lives in the zoo with his Mama and is waiting impatiently for a new family to arrive hoping that he will finally have someone like himself to play with and befriend.

When the new residents arrive Miki is very disappointed. He discovers that his new neighbour couldn't be more different. She is a very tall, slender giraffe named Raffa. They introduce themselves and realize very quickly that they couldn't possibility be friends. She is ever so tall and he is small, she sleeps standing up while he sleeps curled up inside his burrow, he eats from the ground and she stretches her neck high and nibbles leaves from the treetops, just to name a few dissimilarities. No, they cannot be friends, as they seem to have nothing in common. But are their deductions about having a friendship accurate?

One night during a crackling thunderstorm their decision changes. Despite their physical differences and life-styles they fearfully cling together and find out that they have more in common than they first realized. From that scary night together they start looking at their world through each other's eyes and to their utter amazement a wonderful friendship ensues.

Kids will learn that differences can be a good thing and can actually unite rather than divide. It's a book about acceptance, friendship, and independent thinking. Don't judge someone on the outside because on the inside there could be many similaraites. The illustrations enrich the text and are lovely to behold. I highly recommend this book and its positive message that will resonate with both the young and old.

A cute book that introduces children to the important idea that just because someone looks different than you or enjoys different things than you, you can still find common ground and become the best of friends.

Just Like You by Sarah Dodd is a great book about an unlikely friendship. It helps remind us that our first impressions are not always correct. Lovely illustrations accompany the sweet story.

Super sweet story about 2 young animals, giraffe and meerkat, who meet for the first time. At first, all they can see is their external differences. But late at night, they find each other and realize that they are very similar on the inside.
Lovely illustrations. Great opportunities to use this book as instructing children to look beyond the surface to find out about a person.
Thank you NetGalley and publisher, Lion Hudson Ltd, for the opportunity to read this ARC.

My son and I enjoyed sharing this ebook together. The message was clear and simply done .The illustrations are beautiful.
Would recommend to fellow parents. Thank you for letting me review this book.

Sweet story of a meerkat and a giraffe becoming friends. The zookeeper tells Miki the meerkat that a new friend is moving into the exhibit next to his. Miki is surprised when the new friend tuns out to be a giraffe named Raffa. The two are sure they have nothing whatsoever in common as one is little, the other tall. One talks to bugs, the other birds. But after spending the whole day discussing why they can't be friends, night falls and both find many common interests! Little will enjoy this story. The illustrations were really cute!

This is a wonderful children's book with beautiful illustrations. It teaches that just because someone is different than you doesn't mean you can't be friends. A valuable lesson for children and adults. Thank you Lion Hudson LTD via NetGalley for the free copy of this book. This is my honest opinion.

Sarah J. Dodd's "Just Like You" is a straightforward children's picture book about a meerkat and a giraffe finding a common friendship even though there are obvious differences. Giusi Capizzi provides delightful, uncluttered artwork to match the tone of the story. Very enjoyable. 4 stars

#JustLikeYou #NetGalley

Sometimes children have a hard time making and maintaining friendships, especially if there are clear differences between them. Just LIke You by Sarah J. Dodd is a delightful book about two very different animals who find a way to come together in spite of their differences. The illustrations are inviting, and the book is short enough for brief attention spans.

This book didn't really excite me. While it has a decent message about different people finding common ground, I thought the story was kind of boring.

Also, if you're going to write a story that uses the need for sleep as a commonality, it might be better not to use a giraffe. Giraffes need very little sleep. This book also shows Raffa sleeping standing up, but it's usually older giraffes who do that.

The pictures are colourful and cartoonish, but they didn't really do anything for me. Kids might like them, though.

Overall, while I liked the message, the story was kind of weak and the illustrations just didn't excite me. I'm sure the book has an audience... but I'm not it.

Miki the meerkat is excited to hear that a new kid is moving in next door, but when she finds out Raffa is a giraffe, neither of them see how two creatures so different could ever be friends. However, one night circumstances bring them together and they realize that not only can they be friends, but having friends who are different enhances the way we see the world.

What a lovely little book! The illustrations are super cute, which is a make or break for me when it comes to children’s books. Even better is the story. With three 2nd graders at home, this book is incredibly pertinent as we’re entering the phase where they are starting to be influenced by their peers. It’s an excellent time to strengthen the foundation of acceptance and independent thinking we’ve laid for them, and this book is a wonderful way to reopen that conversation. In an honest and elementary fashion, Just Like You reminds children that we often have more in common with others than we realize, and that difference can be a really good thing as well. Absolutely an appropriate read for toddlers through mid-elementary.

This is a sweet little book about how we can find the greatest friendships in the most surprising places. Miki and Raffa seem to have nothing in common, but they come to realise they are actually very similar, and their differences are very interesting to each other, and actually make them better friends. A really lovely story.

This was a really cute children's book about two different animals and how they become friends despite their many differences. Miki is a meerkat who lives with his mother in a zoo. One day a new family moves in next door and Miki is excited to make a new friend until he realizes that his new neighbor is a giraffe. Raffe the giraffe and Miki the meerkat have many difference, from their size, to where they sleep and what they eat. But they end up finding similarities between them, despite all of the physical differences, showing friends come in all different shapes and sizes. The illustrations are really cute and I am a big fan of children's books that feature animals.

Thank you to the publisher & Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this book.

Dodd's story and Capizzi's illustrations tell a tale about a little zoo and its newest resident. Miki was excited to hear that he would be getting a new neighbor just like him, but was shocked when the neighbor turned out to be Raffa, a giraffe. As soon as they met, both Miki and Raffa focused on how they were different and why they couldn't be friends. After discovering they both liked the moon, they figured out they did have a lot in common after all. It was a very cute story, but didn't leave me wanting to read it again. I was also a little put off by the focus on differences when they first met, but some children do feel this way. Overall, it was a cute story with great illustrations and a very useful message.

Thank you NetGalley and Lion Children's for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy.

Miki the Meerkat is excited to learn that she's getting a new neighbor at the zoo - right up until she meets Raffa, the giraffe, who is just too terribly different for a friendship. When a storm comes, though, the two discover they've got much more in common than they originally believed. Very cute story about focusing on similarities instead of differences (and it doesn't hurt that meerkats are adorable).