|
The Smallest Spot of a Dot: The Little Ways We’re Different, The Big Ways We’re the Same
Last updated Saturday, April 4, 2026
Author: Linsey Davis and Michael Tyler
Illustrator: Lucy Fleming
Date of Publication: 2023
ISBN: 0310748801
Grade Level: Kindergarten (GLCs: Click here for grade level guidelines.)
Date(s) Used: Apr. 2026
Synopsis:
Using child-friendly language, this playful picture book explains how genetics make each person unique and celebrates how we are more alike than different and are all part of the human race. The authors encourage children to find their own unique dot with sweet, rhyming prose.
| Discussion topics for before reading: |
| • |
What do you think the world would be like if we were all the same?
|
| • |
What are some ways we are all different?
Vocabulary:
|
| • |
Gene - A tiny section of a chromosome. A gene causes a particular characteristic such as eye color or hair color, to be passed on from parent to offspring.
|
| • |
Hue - A particular color, such as sky blue; shade.
|
| • |
Succotash - A dish of corn kernels, lima beans, and sometimes tomatoes cooked together.
|
| Discussion topics for during/after reading: |
| • |
What do you imagine is inside a gene?
|
| • |
How does your dots (your genes) make you different than everyone else?
|
| • |
What are some ways all human beings are alike?
|
| Craft ideas: |
| • |
The children can decorate and then glue different cotton balls onto a page. The cotton balls would represent different genes.
|
| • |
The children can draw pictures of themselves.
|
*Note: These craft ideas are just suggestions.
You can use them, but you don't have to use them.
You can expand upon them, or add your own twist.
Remember, though, that the focus of your time should
not be on the development and execution of a craft;
the focus should be on the read-aloud and the
enjoyment of the book!
|
