Voices in the Park

This is the PERFECT book to use for teaching VOICE in a 6 Traits writing classroom or in a Writer's Workshop classroom. The students could follow up after hearing the book with a lesson about each voice and how it was unique. Fold a sheet into fourths and have them write each voice in a square. Then, have them write their own story using at least 2 different voices. I love this book and my daughter was very interested in it.

My 8 year old daughter introduced me to Anthony Browne. We have now collected many of his books, which are beautifully drawn and always carry a message. I love the fact that this book introduces the concept of point of view which I consider to be a rich literary tool, and introduces it in a way that my 8 year old grasps and is intrigued by. We will look for more Anthony Browne!

The art work and illustrations in this book are more than worth the cost of the book. The text is an absolute delight. There is something quite captivating about this work, both in syntax and it's relation ship to the art and in the story itself. Actually, many of the illustrations could be framed and would look quite good on the wall. I am certainly not going to go into the story line here, that has been done time and again on this review page, but I will say that this is one of the better books I have had the pleasure of reading to my kids and classes. Highly recommend this one.

It's interesting how the author writes a story that is all about queen elizabeth, princess diana, charles, and victoria and albert. All the emotions and events from real life are portrayed in this book. Every image from the way the trees are leaning displaying political influence to alligators and elephants in the forest. I really like the hinted use of artwork like Scream and the Rembrants. It's a book that is not really a childrens story, it is actually geared towards the adult reader. So many hidden messages about the British economy. It's intersting that the reader portrays Queen Elizabeth so poorly and negatively.

This brilliantly illustrated story is about four different characters, a bossy woman, a poor man, a lonely boy and a young girl, all apes. Each of the moods of the characters personality is reflected in different seasons and each in a different font. With each voice described you begin to understand the story and the events that are occurring in the park that day. One voice at a time you begin to see them all fit together. The little girls story at the end ties them all together. I believe that with the story the author is suggesting that we open our eyes and see the big picture. Appreciate what is happening around you. I may not be hitting this right but I read this book over and over and I see a deeper meaning in this story then just to describe the occurrence in the park. I believe that the author wanted to show the simplicity in children's thoughts and show that they are so peaceful and appreciate and want to know everything and everyone without any prejudice or immediate assumptions. Also within the pictures there are so many hidden meanings that you wouldn't notice first off. The pictures display the emotions of the character. An example is one picture where Charles, a boy being reprimanded by his strict mother, meets smudge, a happy go lucky girl. His side of the picture is all gloomy skies and her side is happy and colorful. There are beautiful paintings in this book that catch the eyes of any age. The creativity of using different fonts was wonderful; it keeps kids interested in what they are reading. I love this book and I feel that every time I pick it up I will find something that I had not noticed before and I love books like that.