Scan barcode
A review by theanitaalvarez
Voices in the Park by Anthony Browne
5.0
This is one of the books I'd read to my children (if I ever have one, though nephews can also work). The ilustrations are gorgeous and it is easy to read aloud (you can make different voice to each section).
The story is simple enough: two families (each consisting of a parent, a child and a dog) meet as they walk in the park. The first family is Charle's. We first get to meet his mom, who is very concerned with their dog Victoria (I'll add that this lady looks a little like Queen Elizabeth II, and has a boy named Charles, so... that's funny) and not so much with her own kid. So, she takes them both to the park. There she's very worried about a dog that runs around Victoria, and tells Charles to sit next to her. But Charles disappears, and she only sees a very terribly-looking man next to her, so she begins screaming for her son. In the end, he's just playing with a little girl, but the woman (who has become very annoying at this point) calls him and the dog and walk away.
The second story is told by the man sitting by Charles' mother. He is clearly depressed, as he doesn't have a job, and has gone to the park to get out of his house with his daughter, Smudge, and their dog. Anthony Browne's pictures are amazing and they really convey how everything looks when you're depressed. The streets look bleak and sad. But after seeing the girl and the dog playing, he says he feels better and the streets look completely different.
Then, we get to hear Charles. The poor kid isn't very happy, and that shows in the pictures. They are sad and he's always alone in them.
But at the park he meets a girl, unfortunately (you know, kids that age aren't usually very keen on playing with kids of the other sex). Nevertheless, he goes to play with this girl and, little by little, you see how he is beginning to feel better.
Smudge, the girl, decided to take her father out because he's feeling blue. And Albert (mind you, this Albert keeps following a certain Victoria), their dog, also needs to walk. In the park she meets a boy who seems sad. But she is a girl who likes having a good time and likes helping others. So she asks him to play with her. After all, they become really good friends and Charlie gives her a flower. But his mother is very angry and tells him that they have to go. Smudge and her father also go home, and she keeps the flower in a cup.
In the book, the different points of view and emotions of the characters are shown in an amazing way. And it's the kind of books that has lots of little secrets and hidden images. If you're reading it to a child, you can point out Mary Poppins flying over the park, or the Narnia lamppost, or the Magritte references. There are so many things in this book, and all of them are great.
The story is simple enough: two families (each consisting of a parent, a child and a dog) meet as they walk in the park. The first family is Charle's. We first get to meet his mom, who is very concerned with their dog Victoria (I'll add that this lady looks a little like Queen Elizabeth II, and has a boy named Charles, so... that's funny) and not so much with her own kid. So, she takes them both to the park. There she's very worried about a dog that runs around Victoria, and tells Charles to sit next to her. But Charles disappears, and she only sees a very terribly-looking man next to her, so she begins screaming for her son. In the end, he's just playing with a little girl, but the woman (who has become very annoying at this point) calls him and the dog and walk away.
The second story is told by the man sitting by Charles' mother. He is clearly depressed, as he doesn't have a job, and has gone to the park to get out of his house with his daughter, Smudge, and their dog. Anthony Browne's pictures are amazing and they really convey how everything looks when you're depressed. The streets look bleak and sad. But after seeing the girl and the dog playing, he says he feels better and the streets look completely different.
Then, we get to hear Charles. The poor kid isn't very happy, and that shows in the pictures. They are sad and he's always alone in them.
But at the park he meets a girl, unfortunately (you know, kids that age aren't usually very keen on playing with kids of the other sex). Nevertheless, he goes to play with this girl and, little by little, you see how he is beginning to feel better.
Smudge, the girl, decided to take her father out because he's feeling blue. And Albert (mind you, this Albert keeps following a certain Victoria), their dog, also needs to walk. In the park she meets a boy who seems sad. But she is a girl who likes having a good time and likes helping others. So she asks him to play with her. After all, they become really good friends and Charlie gives her a flower. But his mother is very angry and tells him that they have to go. Smudge and her father also go home, and she keeps the flower in a cup.
In the book, the different points of view and emotions of the characters are shown in an amazing way. And it's the kind of books that has lots of little secrets and hidden images. If you're reading it to a child, you can point out Mary Poppins flying over the park, or the Narnia lamppost, or the Magritte references. There are so many things in this book, and all of them are great.