Little kids, starting pretty much when they are out of diapers, embark on one of the most important and scary journeys that a person can go through: They are beginning to figure out what kind of person they want to be. 

Becoming an individual—separate from their parents—is hard work, and kids can really use all the help they can get. Hopefully, they get support from their parents, but the media they consume can also help reinforce the lesson that how they perceive themselves matters, and that they can trust their own judgment when it comes to deciding exactly who they want to be.

That’s the message behind bestselling kids’ book Lulu Is a Rhinoceros, which centers on a bulldog named Lulu who is convinced that she’s not a dog—she’s actually a rhinoceros. Now, an Apple TV+ special based on the book will debut on May 30, 2025—and it's coming to families’ screens in musical form. 

Lulu takes readers on an adventure through New York City and into the Central Park Zoo to find her true self—the rhino that she knows herself to be, even though not everyone she encounters agrees. The book has been celebrated for its embrace of diversity, self-acceptance, and self-expression. 

The authors behind the original book, and now the Apple TV+ special, are father-daughter duo Allison and Jason Flom. 

“It’s been inspiring for both of us to think about stories we read, watched, and loved in our respective childhoods, and what kinds of characters, heroes, and songs we both wish we had as kids growing up in different generations,” the father-daughter duo told Parents said of why they wanted to create the character of Lulu. 

Jason raised his daughter with values such as kindness, tolerance, and self-care. It made perfect sense to make them the center of Lulu’s story.

“My parents have taught me lessons that show up in the story like starting the day again or re-setting at any moment, being kind to everyone, and being curious instead of judgmental," says Allison. "So I wrote from the themes and lessons that are most valuable to me, that feel most core to who I am."

With Jason’s past career as a music executive, the pair also agreed that a musical would be the best way to adapt their book. 

Plus, “Music was the perfect way to elevate the book's themes," adds Allison. "I wrote lyrics with simple, repeatable, self-affirming messages."

The cast of the musical special includes Auli'i Cravalho, star of Moana, as Lulu. Alison says the actress is “like a ray of sunshine and she joyously captured Lulu’s signature hopefulness and curiosity.”

It also stars Utkarsh Ambudkar as the “charming and quirky” Hip-Hop, a bunny who is allergic to carrots, and Paul Rust as Finn, “a misunderstood and misguided antagonist who tries bullying in an attempt to make himself feel better only to discover that it doesn’t work,” as Allison describes the character. 

And even more exciting, a childhood hero of Allison’s also appears in the special. 

“I grew up watching Psych and I’m a longtime fan of Dulé Hill, so it was an ultimate dream come true to have him work on this," she says. "I literally cried when he started singing my lyrics."

The special opens with Lulu explaining affirming to viewers, “I’m brave, I’m kind, and I love who I am.” It’s a mantra most parents would want their kids to adopt as well. And while you can assert all those things to your kids, sometimes it really helps to hear it from a character to whom they can relate. 

By following Lulu on her journey to accept her inner rhinoceros, kids who are just starting to figure out who they are might look inward (with the support of a trusted friend), trust their intuition, tune out the doubters, and find the courage to embrace the type of person they want to be. 

Lyrics in one song during the special exemplify this message: “Who I am is up to me, nothing I have to prove. I’m easy to love, I’m good enough…the perfect you is you!” 

Allison and Jason explain, “Young people have an intuitive understanding of these nuanced ideas as soon as they have a sense of self, even if they don’t have the words for it yet."

In fact, kids probably deserve more credit for understanding themselves than they get, meaning parents can trust their kids when they say, “This is who I am.”

One aspect of the special that parents might particularly appreciate is that Lulu’s antagonist isn’t a bad guy. “They’re just being judgmental instead of curious,” explain Jason and Allison. 

That could be a model for kids when they approach someone who is giving them a hard time. 

“Finn—our lovable antagonist—sees Lulu in moments of winning throughout the special, and he makes an interpretation that everything is perfect for her," they explains. "[His character] reminds us that we never see the whole picture of what’s happening for someone else, so we shouldn’t make assumptions or judgments."

That lesson goes both ways—bullies should never make assumptions about the people they antagonize, but it might also be helpful for kids to remember that when someone teases them, something might be going on in their life that causes them to behave in a negative way. 

“Listening is always better,” Jason and Allison explain. “When we can hear about and understand another person’s experience, we can better include them.”

Finn does end up shaking Lulu’s confidence, which might happen if your child is ever bullied. But that’s why it's important to keep reminding them that they are perfect, easy to love, and good enough, just as they are—as Lulu would say.

Another important theme in the show is kindness. Even young kids, who can be temperamental and are still learning to socialize, have trouble always being kind. The more reminders they get to try their best to be kind, the better. 

At the core of the show, according to Jason and Allison, is the idea that “we can always be kind, even when we encounter people or things we don’t understand. If we replace judgment with kindness and curiosity, everything tends to work out better."

For any kid who is struggling to accept who they are, or who encounters people who judge or dismiss their identity, Allison and Jason ultimately hope that Lulu will be a beacon of hope. 

“Lulu will cheer up and inspire anyone who’s feeling misunderstood, put down, or bullied,” they say. “She is unwavering in what she knows to be true: she is a rhinoceros. And she loves who she is.”