Book review: Different Like Us

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Sarah Moriarty from our volunteer book review team shares her thoughts on Different Like Us by Margaret Rooke, a new book aimed at children, teenagers and their parents.

Different Like Us is a collection of real-life stories that centre around lived experiences that children around the world can relate to including stammering, autism and ADHD. It also shares stories from children who have moved to new countries following war, children who have a parent in prison and children who have lost a parent.

The book explores the many ways children (and adults) can feel different, and how talking more openly and sharing their experiences can build acceptance and confidence. It is divided into sub-sections with titles including 'Accepting Ourselves', 'Never Giving Up' and 'Finding the Positives'.

Oliver shares his story over four pages as a 15-year-old boy from Yorkshire who stammers. The theme of acceptance is immediate; Oliver acknowledges that trying to change his stammer is to change who he is. And he understandably doesn't want to do that.

Throughout his story, Oliver gives a positive and reassuring message to children who stammer and their parents. He shares his experiences of speech therapy and the impact it has had on him and his family. Oliver's mum subsequently became a speech & language therapist and now helps other families in the NHS. He also talks about the support he received from school and strategies he finds helpful.

Oliver also reflects on how it feels to be asked about his stammer. He especially likes being asked by other people about what they can do to can help him — because for Oliver it shows they care.

Overall, this a fantastic resource that promotes acceptance and celebration of all the ways we are different.

He expresses difficult moments, such as speaking under pressure at the supermarket checkout. The reader is prompted to think about what they can do to prepare in advance of similar situations. Oliver shares that he prefers people to not make a big deal about stammering, but to support people who stammer and most of all, accept stammering.

At the end of the book is a list of "just some of the many places where you can go for support". STAMMA is featured alongside information about the support provided for children and their families. There's also a nod to STAMMA's very own Catherine Woolley (Programme Lead for Children & Families), who talks about the acceptance and pride in speaking that young people who stammer can have, and how she thinks things are changing for the positive. There's also a set of questions at the end that can help children reflect on what they've read, together with words of advice from an older child, a chat with a parent and advice about how schools can support children.

Overall, this a fantastic resource that promotes acceptance and celebration of all the ways we are different. Whilst not shying away from the challenges that this can also create, Different Like Us leaves the reader with a sense of hope and pride in being part of a global, diverse community of people that are wonderfully different.

As a mum myself (and like Oliver's mum a speech therapy student because of my son's experiences) I find it really important to find books that focus on acceptance and being proud of who you are. Different Like Us is a perfect choice for parents to share with their children to promote acceptance and to truly celebrate difference.

Different Like Us by Margaret Rooke is published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers and is out now to buy on paperback and Kindle, as well as audiobook on Audible.

Thank you to Sarah for reviewing this book for STAMMA. Sarah is the founder of SLCN Stories, a website sharing inclusive stories aimed at raising awareness and supporting children with speech, language and communication needs.

Read more reviews. We’ve also got a list of books for children about, or featuring, stammering.