Voices in the Park

This book was used for teaching point of view and perspective. The illustrations are engaging. It also encourages constructive conversation among students.

Wow, what a great story is "Voices in the Park!" What a delight to find such a clever presentation of point of view and how the companion attitude changes setting and dynamics of character. Wow again! When I first opened the book, I thought, oh no, Planet of the Apes revisited. The anthropomorphic characters are gorillas; their offspring look like chimpanzees. But once in the story, the reader forgets the "color of their skin" to see into their hearts. That's where truth lies, as Martin L. King, Jr. so accurately told us long ago. The literature teacher in our small Catholic school asked, not long ago, for a book on point of view. I gave her Goldilocks and the Three Bears: Bears Should Share! (Another Point of View) and The Three Billy Goats Gruff/Just a Friendly Old Troll (Another Point of View) , both written with another perspective, Goldilocks and the Troll. However, "Voices in the Park" is much better! Anthony Browne utilizes color, objects and setting to demonstrate point of view. The first voice is that of staid, uptight gorilla mom, well-to-do, with a pedigree dog and well-groomed little boy. She is none too happy to share a park bench with a seemingly down-and-out gorilla man. His is the second voice, one of despair, but he takes his son and dog to the park anyway. Then the two children have voices, the boy gradually cracking open his shell, the "rough" girl alive with energy and gaiety. Here's an example of Browne's use of artistry to display emotion: Gorilla mom looks at her son at the moment when he hands something to the girl (the scene on the book cover). All she sees is her son. During the girl's voice, that same scene is aglow with warmth and light because of the touching gesture. "Voices in the Park" will well serve our literature teacher, but more so bright children who will see and understand point of view and attitude and friendship and dogs running free in the park! Oh yes, this book is a keeper!

I like using this book with both elementary school and senior high students. Browne uses four different characters to describe the same encounter in the local park, but each teller has a point of view that paints a very different experience. Using color and images and shapes and even different fonts and styles of speaking for different narrators, it's a great example of "voice" in literature, as well as character's POV. There are a bunch of almost Freudian things in the pictures and even adults go back and say, "Wait, what's that?" when re-reading. Brilliantly done.

Many mention the writing convention of "point of view" as a strong point of this book,and it is, but few reviewers mention the complex themes and issues that arise from this book. The illustrations are worth more than the cost of the book, as one reviewer put it. However, I found that the subtle ways in which this book invites the reader to ponder socio-economic class, child-parent relationships, financial struggle, and the innocence of childhood to be much more thought-provoking. I appreciate how the characters are not people--they are not of any certain ethnic background. I appreciate the detail to diction. Mostly, I appreciate the simplicity of the ending and what it says about how we all might view things when all is said and done at the end of the day.

Amazing and beautiful illustrations that show exactly how the character feels! Even the font changes to show the personality of the character! Perfect book for studying character point of view and perception for any age group!

I used this book with high school freshmen in English class to teach point of view because this book tells about the same sequence of events as seen from four different points of view. I really liked it, both as a children's book and for my high school students. The illustrations are beautiful and quirky, too.

This is a great book that, together with its artwork, could even be used as a high school literary analysis assignment. For younger kids, it is a cute story with a good moral, and for older students even deeper meanings could be drawn from it. I work as a substitute teacher for mostly middle and high schools and I often use this book for "filler" lessons. The students seem to really enjoy reading it and interpreting its meaning.

Great book for teaching my 2nd graders different points of view. 4 different people go to the same park at the same time but all have a different experience.

The story is really beautifull and i can recommend the book if you want to read to children, but sadly i got a damaged produkt. i cant say if those damages happened in produktion or shipping.

Très bon livre, pour enfants et grands enfants, qui - au travers de belles illustrations - nous décrit une rencontre dans un parc, mais de 4 points de vue différents ... Ce livre m'ouvre des pistes de travail (en tant qu'enseignant au collège) intéressantes. Bon investissement ! Seul regret : je l'achète neuf auprès d'amazon, et je reçois un livre un peu abimé, qui aurait plutôt le status d'occasion "en très bon état" ... C'était une commande de 3 livres de ce genre au total, et les 3 sont abimés ... Je pense les acheter d'occasion à présent, ou en magasin directement !

I bought it to use it in my English class and ended up reading it myself, too! Contemporary story, maybe too difficult for your learners but great for teaching culture and social-related topics. The images are really nice.

Adoro essa história e encontrá-la por um bom preço foi um achado. Recomendo!

Awesome book. My kid loved it so much we had to read it for him many times in a row.