WHATEVER! Neither by Arlie Anderson

ONCE UPON A TIME, THERE WERE TWO KINDS-

THIS

AND THAT!

Bunnies were blue. They had long-ish ears, hoppity legs, and a round fluffy tail. They were THIS.

Chicks were yellow. They had wings, and long skinny legs with three toes, and no visible ears. They were THAT.

THIS and THAT were what there were. And that was that.

And then a stranger appears. He's green. He has bird-ish legs, a beak, and wings. But he has long ears and a poofy white tail.

WHAT ARE YOU?

I'M NEITHER!

The bunnies and the chicks agree that he's not one of them. Poor Neither tries to play with the bunnies, but his legs just don't hop high enough. He tries to peep and fly, but his poofy tail doesn't steer so well and his peep comes out as HONK! He's not either, or, or nor!

The bunnies and chicks strongly suggest that Neither needs to go...

SOMEWHERE ELSE!

Luckily, looking for the Land of Somewhere Else, little Neither finds a home in the LAND OF ALL, a place where kangucorns (kangaroos with unicorn horns) roam among flying lobsters, foxes with stripes, and purple cats with butterfly wings And soon the folks from the Land of This and That, unable to resolve their differences, find their way to the place for ALL, too, with room for...

THIS and THAT, SOMEWHAT and WHATNOT, EITHER, VERY, SORT OF, NEITHER and BOTH.

Vive la difference!

Arlie Anderson's little springtime story with a message, Neither (Little, Brown and Company, 2018), is a lighthearted fable that affirms that neither is not necessarily a negative, that "it takes all kinds to make a world." Her simple flat line drawings done in pastel palette make their point with gentle humor and great eye appeal for preschool and primary readers. Says School Library Journal, "This less-than-subtle tale of belonging hits all the right notes and is filled with fun fantastical creatures to boot. The last line sums it all up--"Once upon a time there were many kinds... and all were welcome!"