Voices in the Park

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paint pictures of an everyday scene in the local park or playground but change a few objects into something else (a tree might become a face); This voice is of the sad father. He is walking to the park with his daughter and dog. You are going to ask the same two questions as before with the same discussion as with the first voice. “Who is talking in this story?” and “Who’s voice is missing?” Use the story as a starting point for learning about the first / third person and how they are written. A walk in the park can bring joy and peacefulness to your day. Join four different perspectives of voices that take a stroll through their local park as they reflect on the lives. What is the reason for a parallactic plot structure? In literary parallax, the message is implicitly this: The truth does not exist. A person’s version of the truth depends on their perspective. This is a defining characteristic of the literary Impressionists. That said, I think Anthony Browne has used parallax to a different end in this instance. I believe he conveys an unambiguous message: Repression of children is bad; playing is good; friendship across socioeconomic boundaries is good. He uses parallax to avoid hitting readers over the head with this ‘message’. A strong message like that could easily seem didactic. When readers put pieces of a puzzle together for themselves, they are more likely to agree with the storyteller’s message, regarding it as self-evident.

Voices in the Park was an interesting piece of children's literature, however I felt like it is geared toward a slightly older reader only because it can be difficult to follow. I did enjoy the book but had to read it a few times to understand it as a whole. My seven year old, however, enjoyed the bright colors throughout the story, but got lost in its overlapping story lines.Look at the facial expressions and body language of the characters in the illustrations. Can you draw the same person with different expressions / body language to show their changing emotions? Voices in the Park is a very unique children's book. It tells the story from four separate perspectives about the same day in the park: a woman, her son, a man, and his daughter. The two children play together--creating a friendship--while the two adults keep to themselves. The woman, specifically, is upset by having to share the park bench with the man. The feelings of these characters can be seen in the illustrations. Depending on the perspective, the reader will notice the seasons changing. For example, the trees will appear bare for one character and in full bloom for another. Think about the hopes and dreams of the different voices who are speaking. Could you describe these to a friend?

The friendship between the children is blooming, but Browne highlights the difference in class between the two families. There’s the very working class Mr Smith (indicated by clothing, speech, home), and the wealthy status of Mrs Smith. Metafictive Devices Importantly, the story is atemporal by design. Is this sky one of the evening, morning? We don’t know. Once the characters assemble at the park, the seasons keep changing according to whose story it is. This makes use of the symbolism of seasons, of course, but also lends a universality to this story of humanity and hierarchy.You don’t have to spent too much time on the answers. Simply get the kids’ talking about the voices and who isn’t heard. Read The Third Voice To start your critical literacy session with the kiddos, I suggest that you read the book and have the discussions anytime but bedtime. We read them during our calm down time of the day which is after lunch. Sit down in a cozy spot and pull out the book. Read the title of the book and ask your child this question: This story appears to be set in England, though I’ve never seen a big English park as deserted as this one. This park is a representation of the characters’ inner states, in which no one is truly connected to the others. (See also: Loneliness in Art and Storytelling.) Whilst I teach in an Australian context, these books are not linked to specific Australian content and would be well-suited to any English speaking classroom. Spelling and grammar are UK/Australian. The children are most likely to say we are missing the little boy’s voice. They may also say the dog. You can ask the kids what you think those voices would say. Read The Second Voice

The symmetry of the composition of full bleed illustrations of this story contribute to general creepiness, much like paintings by Italian artist Alessandro Tofanelli. Alessandro Tofanelli, Italian surrealist landscape painter. For more examples of his work see here. STORY STRUCTURE OF VOICES IN THE PARK

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This ending reminds me of a later (wordless) Canadian picture book called “ Sidewalk Flowers” in which a generous girl also ends up with a flower at the end. The flower clearly symbolises innocent friendship in this story but I think it does a little more: A girl who ends up with a flower at the end of a story keeps some of her power/agency, in contrast to Giving Tree plots, in which femme characters are idealised as entirely self-sacrificing. Throughout, Voices in the Park, there are different types of art used in the book. Here is a list of a couple of those styles and how the book's illustrations relate to them. Each style can be used in an illustration with another style too. The flower functions as a reward for openness and kindness. Notice that the motif of the flower has been foreshadowed in the illustrations, encouraging readers to wonder what it means. EXTRAPOLATED ENDING Anthony Browne is a highly acclaimed and multi award winning author and illustrator whose books are known and enjoyed for their surreal illustrations and thought-provoking themes.