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4.43 AVERAGE
4.43 AVERAGE
This is an ostensibly simple story, but a great one...very positive message.
The story is nice but what I really loved was the pictures. I want to live there!
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A story that makes segregation accessible to younger students without being preachy or overly technical. Clover lives on one side of the fence, Annie in the other. They aren’t suppose to cross it, but they do get to know each other that summer by sitting on it.
Powerful messages if you are willing to help kids break past the metaphorical imagery in this book.
Clover is a Black girl who lives in a town where the white side and the black side are divided by a fence. The book seems to take place during Segregation, maybe the 1950s and probably in the south. Her mother tells her never to go to “the other side”. She notices a white girl her age playing on the other side of the fence. The two are naturally drawn together by the desire to have a friend to play with, but neither can cross the fence. They do find a way to become friends despite the limitations put on them.
Clearly the fence is symbolic of the system of segregation and the racism that divides the town. The book ends with the girls hoping that someday the fence will come down. It’s a great opportunity to talk about what needs to happen to take down the “fences” in our world, and who can help do it. Another great talking point is when the mother tells her daughter that they can’t go over the fence because it’s “the way it’s always been”. Here we can discuss motivations for following or challenging rules, what fear does to us, sense of security, and curiosity. Finally, this book can just be a friendship story. There are lots of great points related to the friendship between the two main characters, but also between Clover and her other black friends as well. Even though they are minor characters, Clover’s thoughts about them provide some great teaching moments.
Clover is a Black girl who lives in a town where the white side and the black side are divided by a fence. The book seems to take place during Segregation, maybe the 1950s and probably in the south. Her mother tells her never to go to “the other side”. She notices a white girl her age playing on the other side of the fence. The two are naturally drawn together by the desire to have a friend to play with, but neither can cross the fence. They do find a way to become friends despite the limitations put on them.
Clearly the fence is symbolic of the system of segregation and the racism that divides the town. The book ends with the girls hoping that someday the fence will come down. It’s a great opportunity to talk about what needs to happen to take down the “fences” in our world, and who can help do it. Another great talking point is when the mother tells her daughter that they can’t go over the fence because it’s “the way it’s always been”. Here we can discuss motivations for following or challenging rules, what fear does to us, sense of security, and curiosity. Finally, this book can just be a friendship story. There are lots of great points related to the friendship between the two main characters, but also between Clover and her other black friends as well. Even though they are minor characters, Clover’s thoughts about them provide some great teaching moments.
My building librarian handed this to me when we were discussing Each Kindness. I loved this story of two girls - one white, one black - on opposite sides of a fence in a segregated town. This would pair well with Lions of Little Rock or other books that focus on segregation.
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
This is a very simple but not one bit simplistic story. This book would be a fine way to introduce the topics of segregation and interpersonal relationships. It’s really lovely and is beautifully and perfectly complemented with its beautiful watercolor illustrations. I love how the children, particularly the two new friends, are described and depicted. I got a laugh out of how the always clever kids get around the adult made rules, and I really appreciate how Clover’s mother, while very protective of her, does not interfere with the budding new friendship her daughter develops. It’s a sweet and quiet and sometimes amusing story, but also incredibly heartbreaking. With such a short picture book, I was impressed by how well I felt I got to know the characters. Great springboard for discussion! I love watercolors and I loved the paintings on each page, just on their own, and they also greatly enhance the story. I did find it an interesting choice that no obvious differences were shown regarding the financial situations of the two girls’ families, not that I noticed.
4 ½ stars
4 ½ stars
The Other Side is a beautiful depiction of the genuine confusion and exploration of the complexity of racism in small rural towns during the Jim Crow era. Clover was always warned not to play on the other side of the fence (Mama said it wasn't safe), however, when a white girl named Annie begins sitting on the fence one summer - watching and sometimes asking to play. Slowly, we see the bud of a friendship formed between the two girls, despite both their Mama's saying the other side wasn't safe. We see how children don't have the same pre-conceived notions of race, socio-economic status, or which side of the fence they lived on (or why they lived where they did). I have never seen this type of narrative in this time period which shows non-violent interactions between the girls - Woodson beautifully captures the pureness of children's hearts. I'm definitely going to be reading this to my future children!