Young children live in their own worlds. They see the same people everyday, do the same things and eat the same foods. Maybe they put ketchup or ranch dressing on pasta or pancakes and that's considered normal — in their worlds.

Generally, all this routine is considered good because it makes children feel safe and comfortable with themselves and their loved ones. A sheltered life, though, can later have social and academic consequences.

A new book and a new TV show tackle diversity, couched in characters and words that kids can already relate to.

Carson Kressley, the author of the picture book "You're Different and That's Super" (Simon & Schuster), grew up in a fairly rural, blue-collar community in Pennsylvania, which he says was "not a place where difference is tolerated or celebrated."

Kressley, the fashion guru on Bravo's "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy," says he wrote the book largely based on his feelings of being the odd boy out, being gay and being an equestrian rather than a team athlete.

"This is for anyone who is skinny, fat, black, white, gay or straight — anything that wreaks havoc with self-esteem," Kressley says. "Sometimes kids have parents they can talk to, sometimes not. I want kids to know they're not alone."

In "You're Different," a young colt goes from being the most popular one on the farm to the most ostracized when he grows a single horn from the top of his head. Turns out the horse is a unicorn.

Even the unicorn thinks it's terrible to be different — even though he has the most golden mane — until his horn saves the day and everyone else celebrates his uniqueness.

The creator of the new PBS series "It's a Big Big World," Mitchell Kriegman, wants to encourage children's curiosity of things that are unknown and imprint a positive image of all the creatures, places and things on earth. Home base for the show, which premieres Jan. 2, is the world tree, home to a diverse group of animals and the show's metaphor for the world.

In one upcoming episode, Bob the Anteater wonders what it would be like if the world played one big game of tag.

"It's a positive sentiment about working together and being a community despite differences," says Kriegman, who also created "Bear in the Big Blue House."