Different Good - Thao Lam

The lives of two early humans change when their child introduces them to new ways of seeing the world

Man and woman live a simple life. They grunt. They eat meat. They play with rocks. They build stone structures. Every day is the same, and nothing is different … until their new baby arrives. The child is nothing like man and woman. It sings. It eats plants. It plays with sticks. It builds wooden structures.

One day, frustrated by the child’s unfamiliar behavior, man takes its stick away and, in doing so, accidentally pokes a mammoth in the eye. The mammoth swallows man whole, but the child’s quick thinking sparks a game of fetch, and he is promptly spat out again. After the rescue, man and woman realize that different may be good after all.

Thao Lam’s signature cut-paper collage art transports readers back in time in this delightful story about familial love, identity, expectations, and empathy.