Digby Differs - a book review

"You know you've read a good book when you turn the last page and feel a little as if you have lost a friend."
                                          ~Paul Sweeney

Title:  Digby Differs
Author:  Miriam Koch
Illustrator: Same

This book makes a "big" statement.  It is 18" long and just 7" high.  It was originally published in Germany in 2007.  It has a cloth binding and is perfect  to share, as it needs two laps (yours and your child's) to cuddle up and make the best reading experience ever .  Perfect marketing.

Ever feel like the odd person out?  Ever feel like you don't fit in or you don't belong?  Ever wonder why those around you won't accept you as their friend?  Digby, a very special sheep wrestles with all these questions and his emotions as every day he asked himself why?  He truly is physically different from the other sheep in his flock as his fleece is red and white striped.  The flock ignore and snub him, making him feel sad and very lonely ... an outcast.

One day a hot air balloon, which is a perfect match for his fleece, floats by and Digby follows it.  It leads him into another strange world where he discovers he doesn't belong either.   He caught glimpses of facsimiles of himself in that world but the sense of him belonging there, eludes him.  Downcast and forlorn he spots a train and climbs aboard hoping that the train's journey will take him to a place where he can feel comfortable and call his home. He falls asleep on the train and finally wakes up to "a wonderful, soothing sound that warmed his heart."  He looked at his new surroundings and immediately feels right at home.  He has landed in a beautiful place where he is destined to live out his days and be happy.  The wonderful story begins and ends with a wise saying from Confucius.."Wherever you go, go with all your heart." -  and Digby did!

The illustrations are engaging, displaying emotion, and the colour palette is soft and natural in sharp contrast to Digby's splashes of red and white.  The attention-getting format and wonderful storyline combine to create a memorable story about being different, belonging and home.


About the Author:

Miriam Koch was born in 1980, studied Communication Design with an emphasis on illustration in Trier, Germany.  Her love for the North Sea and its coast inspired her to create Digby Differs.  She works as a freelance writer and illustrator in Germany.

Book Review Rating:    9  (Close to Perfection!)

Read on and read always!