In this joyful celebration of transcontinental pen-pal friendship, Kailash, from India, and Elliot, from the United States, exchange letters and drawings. The boys learn about each other's families, abodes, schools, alphabets, and ways of greeting; simple repeated text makes the story easy to read. Brilliantly colored illustrations created with collage, acrylics, crayon, pencil, and tissue paper help highlight the two worlds.

Kailash, from India, and Elliot, from the United States, exchange letters and drawings in this joyful celebration of transcontinental pen-pal friendship. In Nepal and India, author-illustrator Kostecki-Shaw learned the saying "same, same but different" to compare cultures, and the boys use it throughout the book as they learn about each other's families, abodes, schools, alphabets (Kailash's is Hindi, yet not identified as such), and ways of greeting. Simple, predictable, repeated text, written in a handwritten but clear font, makes the story easy to read. Brilliantly colored illustrations created with collage, acrylics, crayon, pencil, and tissue paper help highlight the two worlds and make the book perfect for sharing with a crowd. Tiny details (stamps, painting on walls, signs on city buildings) add interest for close viewing as well. The children in the stylized art, large-headed and open-eyed, add humor to a book that could have simply been a lesson in "let's all get along." Young readers will close the book longing to have a friend from another place; for schools with global partnerships, this will be a go-to book for introducing these projects to classrooms. robin l. smith

Although today's kids usually communicate through texting or email, Elliot from the United States and Kailash from India use pictures and a few simple sentences to exchange information about their lives. Their teachers facilitate the snail mailing of pictorial letters, just as the author-illustrator did when she visited Nepal, which provided the inspiration for this book. The title, also used as a refrain throughout the book, is a popular saying in India and Nepal, heard by Kostecki-Shaw when she traveled there. Elliot and Kailash explore their similarities and differences, concluding that their lives are "Different, different but the SAME!" The engaging childlike acrylic paintings with crayon, pencil, tissue paper and other collage elements show the busy crowded American streets of Elliot's city, the traditional buildings of Kailash's riverside village, the taxis and buses in the States and the taxis and camel-pulled carts in India. The English alphabet is reproduced on wide-ruled notebook paper and the Hindi alphabet (unfortunately unidentified) on a small slate, and both typical American pets (dog and fish) and a whole farmyard of Indian animals appear. Both kids live unusually low-tech lives (no computers or cell phones in sight), but they each enjoy learning about their pen pal's world. Purposeful, but saved from didacticism by the sheer exuberance of the illustrations; the accessible text introduces the idea of traditional two-way communication and demonstrates just how small our world can be.(Picture book. 5-7)

Elliot lives in the United States, and when his class takes on a penpal project, he develops a friendship with Kailash who lives in India. The boys exchange many illustrated letters in which they describe their homes, hobbies, pets, etc., and discover the ways that they are the same as well as different. The bright, fanciful pictures and simple text help young readers to understand that the world we live in is a fascinating and exciting place, and that people living on the other side of the world aren't so different after all. Ann M.G. Gray, Library Media Specialist, Pittsburg School, Pittsburg, New Hampshire. RECOMMENDED

The theme of commonalities among the world's children is a familiar one, so readers aren't likely to be surprised that a city-dwelling American boy and his pen pal in rural India have a lot in common, even if those similarities are embodied in different ways. But Kostecki-Shaw (My Travelin' Eye) makes her tribute to brotherhood sing in a way that feels fresh and inviting. Both of her heroes are anchored by warm, caring home lives: for Elliot, that means living with his parents and baby sister in a brick row house, while Kailash shares a farm with 23 members of his extended family "and our animals." Elliot uses art to fuel his imagination, while Kailash uses yoga. "Same, same but different" is Kostecki-Shaw's refrain, but what keeps it from being saccharine or pedestrian are her terrific naif, mixed-media pictures. Working in exuberantly detailed spreads with a playful sense of proportion and perspective, she immerses readers in her heroes' worlds, showing them as confident navigators of even the busiest landscapes. On every page, readers will sense they're in the company of a generous, open-minded talent. Ages 4-7. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

K-Gr 2-Cheerful pictures and written notes pass between two boys, Elliot in the U.S. and Kailash in India, as they describe their lives. Though many of the details are unique to their own situation, the boys find connections that span their continents and experiences. A great introduction to the concept of pen pals. (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.