Voices in the Park, By Anthony Browne

What can I say about this amazing book? It has so much to offer a reader of any age. Anthony Browne takes us through a simple afternoon walk in the park but does it with a twist, or rather four twists! He uses brilliant imagery in his depictions of four different voices on their separate jaunts with their dogs from their homes to the park and back. The characters whose voices we read are gorillas personified, a mother and son, a father and daughter. The walk is presented in "First Voice, then "Second Voice", and so on, so it builds in a simple, yet quite interesting way. The pictures are magical and deep, and could be talked about for hours. But the perspectives are what gives the book its power. All four voices tell us about facets of the walk--the dogs, the parents, the children, their lives--in extremely different ways. There is hardship, judgment, coldness, friendliness, play, and the uninhibited way of dogs as a lesson for everyone (and much more.) The class differentiation and assumptions presented through the pictures and voices are themes I feel personally are worth bringing out for critical discussion, especially if you use the book in a classroom. It is worth reading a few times!
KL teacher/mom