Review: Different Like Delia

Five-year-old Delia lives in San Francisco and dreams of becoming a world-famous fashion designer. When Delia begins to stutter, she loses all of her confidence and battles with anxiety and worry. Throughout this book, Delia deals with low self-esteem and bullying as a result of her stutter, before learning to see the bigger picture. Different Like Delia is a charming book about the importance of self-acceptance, friendship and kindness.

Different Like Delia portrays the challenges that are associated with a stutter with sensitivity while also presenting its subject matter in an accessible manner. In this picturebook, Ann Marie King and her daughter Ava Murphy demonstrate how having a stutter can cause children to feel socially isolated and insecure, and remind the reader of the importance of showing kindness and empathy towards those who may have difficulty fitting in.

Olya Golubeva lends an artful hand to the representation of Delia’s journey in this book. Golubeva presents touching depictions of Delia’s struggle to make friends, contrasted with atmospheric imagery as she overcomes every obstacle – the illustrations of Delia flying through the clouds and overlooking San Francisco impart a sense of being on top of the world.

Different Like Delia is a very moving picturebook with a powerful message for young readers who may, like Delia, be different in some way. The compelling writing and immersive illustrations urge young readers not to be discouraged by their differences, but rather to focus on their skills, strengths and interests.

You can buy a copy of Different Like Delia here:

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Thank you very much to Children’s Books Ireland for providing me with an advance review copy of this book. This review was originally published on the Children’s Books Ireland website.