The Small and Tall Ball: A Story About Diversity and Inclusion

Everyone’s family looks different – and that’s okay!

Although our world is diverse, it is not always inclusive. To raise accepting, empathic, and open-minded children, it is important to instill the idea that differences are to be celebrated within families, communities, and throughout the world.

In The Small and Tall Ball, readers will follow the heartwarming story of Oliver, a child who feels excluded from the yearly “Mother-Son & Father-Daughter Dance” because he has two dads. While planning for the dance goes on around him, Oliver learns that other kids in his class are also unable to attend because they have diverse families. “This is NOT fair!” cries one student. How can the students come together to plan a dance where all kids and families are welcome? Find out how the class thinks up a clever idea so everyone can enjoy the dance – making it a special night for those small and those tall!

Inside you’ll also find a special note for parents and caregivers that explains how to talk to kids about the importance of inclusion and the diverse families all around us.

 

Author

Frank Sileo, PhD

Frank J. Sileo, PhD, is a licensed psychologist and the founder and executive director of The Center for Psychological Enhancement in Ridgewood, NJ. A Fordham University graduate, he works with children, adolescents, adults, and families. Since 2010, he has been consistently recognized as one of the New Jersey’s top kids’ doctors. He is the author of fifteen children’s books, which have received various prestigious book awards and have been translated into four languages. He also wrote an award-winning parenting book about raising chronically medically ill children. Dr. Sileo speaks across the country, has published in numerous peer-reviewed journals, and is a go-to psychologist in the media.