An incredibly lovely story about a little girl who notices how she and her mother don't look quite the same, with different skin color and different kinds of hair, but her mother shows her that not all children and parents look the same and you're still family no matter what.

The cadence of the story reminded me of Love You Forever and definitely had me tearing up at the love the mother had for her child, even in a few short pages.

The illustrations were gorgeous as well!

Thank you to NetGalley and Owlkids Books for making this available in exchange for an honest review!

Izzy loves being with Mama, but she’s noticing all these differences between them. Mama has blue eyes, lighter skin, and straight hair compared to her brown eyes, darker skin, and curly hair. She wants to be beautiful like Mama. Mama lets her know beauty comes in many forms, and they're both gorgeous in their own unique way. When she goes for a walk, Izzy also notices the diversity between mothers and their babies. This is an important topic as many children may wonder why they don’t look like one or both parents. The book explored this topic in a sensitive, lovely, and playful way. I read this via NetGalley, courtesy of the publisher.

This book's strengths are in its repeating lines, its bright & bold illustrations, and the love that shines between Izzy and her mother. The simple, repetitive language is perfect for toddlers and preschoolers. It gives children the words to acknowledge and appreciate difference, rather than to fear or avoid talking about it. I would have loved to have seen other families or people that were different, rather than only showing other examples in nature.

Different is beautiful! Tasha Spillett-Sumner brings such warmth to her books and this one is no exception. I'm definitely going to be purchasing this one to add to my ECE class library :)

This book sweetly and delicately covers the emotions a child can feel when first realizing they look different than someone they love. In this book Izzy begins to notice all the differences between herself and the mother she loves and begins to feel lost and confused. At first, she dislikes the differences and wishes she looked more like her mother, but her mother gently teaches Izzy that everyone has their own unique beauty. This book is an beautiful tool for helping children work through their realizations of differences and learn to appreciate and celebrate the things that make them, and others, unique and wonderful, and understand that connections to those we love run deeper than our skin!

Izzy is a beautiful young girl who loves being with her Mama. One night she notices that their skin does not match. Izzy says she is chocolate and Mama is sand. She wants to look like Mama, but Mama sweetly explains that they are both beautiful. Izzy also notices that her hair does not look like Mama's, but Mama again explains that each of them is beautiful, Finally, she takes Izzy for a walk and they look at different mama animals with their babies. Izzy realizes that not all babies match their mamas and that is okay.
This is a cute story to help explain why some people may have different physical characteristics; however, they are all beautiful.

As someone who grew up wondering why I was darker than my mom and why her hair was straight and mine was curly, I was drawn to this book as soon as I saw the cover. Inside I discovered a sweet story of a girl learning that moms and their babies may not look the same, but they are all uniquely beautiful. It was short and would be well suited for kids 0-5. The repeated lines will be fun for little ones to read along with. I wish I had this kind of positive representation of myself when I was a child!

Representation: 10
Story: 10
Illustration: 10

Beautiful You, Beautiful Me is a wholesome, empowering story with bright, eye-catching illustrations and social-emotional importance.

I loved how inclusive and child-friendly Spillett-Summer's answer to when a child notices the differences between them and their parent is. I love books that help children feel heard and process their feelings, such as this.

** Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the ARC in return for an honest review. **

Such a beautiful book about love and acceptance. Liszt loves being in her mom’s cozy arms. Suddenly she starts to see how different they both are. A beautiful message about how people can be related but still look different.

Izzy is a young girl beginning to see the world a little differently. She's starting to notice details in her Mother's features. These observations lead her to question why she doesn't have the same features as her Mother. Izzy vocalized her concerns to her Mother. Each time, her Mother responds by helping Izzy see her unique beauty.

This book will help children understand that looking different from a parent, their skin color, or hair texture; does not make them any less of a family. It reinforces the idea that we are all beautiful in our own way. I hope this book helps children love who they see in the mirror, especially if their features aren't in their family or highlighted in society.

I loved this book and the beautiful message it shared. As a teacher of several children from diverse families, I think this book will be wonderful to show my children how everyone in your family can look different and what matters is that you love each other!

I received an electronic ARC from Owlkids Books through NetGalley.
Heartwarming story of a mom and daughter who obviously love each other. The child notices her skin, hair, etc. are different from her mom's and asks about this. Each time she asks about a different part of herself, her mom offers the same support - both are beautiful as themselves. The illustrations bring the emotions to life and support the text. I appreciate the facial expressions that radiate support and love even when answering hard questions. A must for families as children realize they are different from their parents and begin to compare themselves to the one(s) they love.

A charming book about families that don’t look exactly alike, perfect for inter-racial or adoptive families. When Izzy starts to realize that she doesn’t look much like her mother, her mother gives all of the right responses, even taking her on a walk to see other animal families where children don’t match their parents. A great message told well.

Izzy and her Mama have a very special relationship. Izzy loves being wrapped in her Mama's arms. There she feels loved, safe and warm. One night while curled up on her mother's lap she suddenly realizes that she and her Mama look very different from each other. Their skin tones and hair texture don't match. Izzy's skin colour is chocolate and Mama's skin is the colour of sand. The next day Izzy's notices her hair is all curly and swirly while Mama's hair is smooth and straight and hangs down her back. She wants to be Mama's kind of beautiful.

Mama's response to her beloved Izzy is:

"You're part of me,
and I'm part of you.
I'm beautiful like me,
and you're beautiful like you."

That afternoon they take a walk together and observe a mama duck with her ducklings, a mama cat cleaning her diverse litter of kittens, and a mother robin feeding her nestlings. Izzy discovers that not all of the babies match. Her Mama adds to that breakthrough... "But they still belong to one another."

Mama encourages Izzy and tells her that she is beautiful and perfect just the way she is. This story about a multiracial child navigating identity and belonging draws from author Tasha Spillett-Sumner's own experience growing up as an Afro-Indigenous girl. The illustrations are gorgeous and the message to the reader is that true love is a heart-to-heart bond and transcends physical traits. I love this sweet heartwarming book and highly recommend it.

This book tells the story of a little girl whose mother's skin tone is a little bit lighter than hers. Throughout the story the mother reassures her daughter that no matter what differences in their physical features they may have, they belong together and are part of each other. It is a really nice story that I think families with diverse backgrounds, especially adoptive or foster families, could really enjoy together. I would recommend this book to families and teachers of children in the age 4-8 range. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book!

Children don't always look like their parents. Families are made of many different people, and each member is beautiful in their own way. This heartfelt, relevant, and necessary message weaves throughout this book, leaving readers feeling warm and welcome in their own appearance and uniqueness. The illustrations are simple, colorful, and vibrant, and complement the book well.

As a mother whose children look different than her, this book had me in tears within the first few pages. I’m grateful not just for the lovely hand-drawn illustrations, but also for the beautiful message of love I can use as a tool as my children continue to notice and embrace all of our differences.

This book is cute. I love the story and the message and enjoyed reading this to my son! Highly recommend.

Uses nature is to show we don't need too look the same to be family. The cat and her kittens were a great example to compare they're differences. Easy for little ones understand yet very poignant

Love the art, the message, and just the book overall! It was such a sweet and important read. Honestly would love to read this in story times!