Age: Preschool-2nd grade
Emotions: Feeling different

Although the size is going to be real awkward on the library shelves, the story is a charming one.

"Digby was different. He sensed it...and it made him feel very alone."

This is a very interesting way to start this type of book because Digby feels excluded but the other lambs aren't necessarily excluding him. In fact, they are peering over at poor Digby as he sits alone off in the distance. One day a giant striped balloon passes by and Digby feels drawn by the balloon's similarities to himself, a striped lamb. The book goes on with Digby finding assorted striped objects until he is truly alone in a strange place. He longs for "someplace where it was okay to be different, where feeling different felt just right." He eventually finds his way to a seashore land full of sheep where he immediately feels at home, where everything is "beautifully different." You have to wonder if this is the same hill he chose to leave.

Another plus about this book is the artwork and Koch's ability to create a picture within a picture, oftentimes a zoom or a slight passage of time. All in all, a very attractive and delightful book.