Thanks to NetGalley and NorthSouth Books for the ARC of this one. Super cute book and differences. Definitely would recommend this one to fellow teachers!

9 Little People by Regina Feldman is a charming story that celebrates differences and the joy of friendship. Perfect for preschoolers, this anytime read delivers a heartwarming message through its cute narrative.

The illustrations are a standout, with soft colors that create a soothing, calming effect, making it ideal for bedtime or quiet moments.

While I thoroughly enjoyed the book, I felt it could have offered a bit more depth to fully earn that fifth star. Still, it's a delightful pick for young readers and their caregivers!

I received a DRC from NorthSouthBooks through NetGalley. This review is my own and reflects my honest thoughts and opinions.

9 little people tells and shows the story of 9 children who are born on the same day and grow up together. Although they come from different backgrounds and they are all unique, they are also connected because of their shared memories and things they like/dislike.

The art in this book is beautiful! Although there isn't a lot of net on each page, I think it makes the message shine even brighter because it is mainly told through the drawings/paintings. There is so much to explore, so many little details. Just adorable and I know my son (4 years old) would spend hours with those 9 little people, exploring the world.

The message this book delivers speaks loud and clear. The children are different, their homes are different. But they are still nine little people: equal, unique and beautiful <3

I will create this book on GoodReads and share it in a Highlights Bookstagram post to show some of my favorite children's books. Links will be added once those go live, most likely still this week.

I received an electronic ARC from NorthSouth Books Inc. through NetGalley.
Beautifully illustrated book that shares about nine babies born on the same day in the same neighborhood. Each is unique and part of the overall family. Readers see them grow and explore and bond together. We also see how special each family is. No two are the same but they all share love. Charming story to open dialogue about how important it is to celebrate uniqueness and forming community.

A lovely reminder in picture book form of all the things that connect us as people, as opposed to the reasons people want to focus on that we are different.

Thank you to NorthSouth Books Inc. and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this title to read and review. This is a lovely rhyming story that "follows" 9 different children born in the same neighborhood on the same day, and they eventually grow into children who have very different days, lives, and experiences. Yet of course, they're united by more than their birthday. First of all, the illustrations are *STELLAR* and make the story even richer. We see a diverse group of kids and their different lifestyles and families. The rhyme scheme is easy to read aloud, and even though the text is relatively simple and repetitive in theme, there's lots of room to explore the meanings and reflect on the different children!

This was a very simple book, but I liked reading it! Due to its simplicity, I think that this book would be great for "younger" young kids. Not only will it build reading skills, but it will also teach little ones about the power and magic of friendship, which is always awesome. While the aspect of connection through time might not be relevant to young readers just yet, I think that this story has a lot of potential to be memorable and show itself later in life.
Lastly, I loved seeing all of the book's diversity within the illustrations. There were so many different types of lifestyles, families, and people, which really added a lot to the book as a whole. The visuals were probably my favorite part of this book just because of the attention to detail, so bravo for that!

9 Little People is a cute story of 9 babies growing up together. The story shares diversity and hope.

Thank you so much to netgalley and publishers for this ARC! This book is absolutely precious. I love how diverse the story is, and how appealing and accessible the illustration style is. The rhyming scheme is also very accessibly and makes this story that much better. I will 100% be using this as a storytime read when it is published - it's a phenomenal read aloud.

Netgalley ARC - 4.5 stars, this is a simple book with a repeating format but it works well and the art style is very cute.

This is an adorable picture book with beautiful visuals and a lovely message within!

This is the perfect book to share with children to celebrate diversity and community.

The rhyming style worked really well and would be wonderful to read aloud with a child.

Overall a really cute and inclusive picture book that will leave a warm fuzzy feeling after reading!

This book is absolutely gorgeous! It is a must have for all home and school/public libraries. Nine little people is stunning in both its message and joyfully lyrical language, as well as its entirely homey and unique illustration style. This is going to be a story tine favorite my at library, and it is wonderful to hear the inclusive backstory from the author's note at the end. None little people starts with nice little babies freshly born and walks readers through their lives and best friendship together. I love that this read touches on richness meaning so many different things, and will serve as a beautiful jumping off point to discuss all different types of people and different bodies. Reading this aloud flows effortlessly and I look forward to doing it for years to come.

Oh my gosh what a precious story!!! This one really touched my heart with how sweet and cozy it is. I love the diversity and representation. I read the author’s note at the end and love that they included it. To the author, you have such a wise and bright child :)

The illustrations are really pretty as well.

Thank you so much for this arc!

In an epilogue, Regina Feldmann beautifully describes her thoughts on the book and her motivation for writing a nursery rhyme book based on “10 kleine Zappelfinger”.
The Zappelfingers are already a - correct and important - adaptation to remove a racist foreign term from the well-known nursery rhyme.
But “Why does it always have to be ten?”, her daughter remarked. Nursery rhymes, which we often recite with sequences of movements, refer to the ten fingers, the ten toes, and so on.

So what do such rhymes convey to children who don't have 10 fingers, two arms, ..... ?

“‘9 little people’ is an ode to a generation of children who already know that they are right just the way they are [...].” (Afterword from the book)

Martina Stuhlberger has illustrated the rhyme with pictures that make you linger warmly on the pages. 9 little people and their families, who live in a wide variety of family forms and offer plenty of potential for identification.

The many details and facets of the -isms that have been included in the rhyme are impressive. For example, “wealth” - whether financial or immaterial - is given a double page “9 little people have different kinds of days. 9 little people are rich in different ways.”.

Overall, a playful approach dominates. The rhymes and the book can be an impetus for conversation and reflection for children and families to talk about different aspects of togetherness and individuality, but they don't have to be and can also simply have a subversive effect.

9 Little People is an adorable book about newcomers to the world. They live sweet lives with their loved ones. They engage together in special ways. The illustrations, especially the vignettes with their individual families are very sweet. I loved the diversity of the characters. The colors are light and cheerful. This is very much a go-to book that will be read often.
Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the chance to read this delightful book in exchange for an honest review.