The Park Bench

by Fumiko Takeshita

All through the sunny day the white bench in the park provides pleasure for the many people who come by, from the old man taking a walk to the children playing in the park

Genres: Picture Books, Japan, Cultural, Childrens

33 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1988

Reviews

[Esther · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this! It's a story about what happens in a day, from the perspective of a park bench. Using subtle personification for the bench gives a very warm and touching feel to the story. The different characters, of all ages, are drawn and described so beautifully, in an honest and realistic way. The descriptive language using effortless metaphor, and alliteration for example, really complements the illustrations. The use of both English and Japanese text is very interesting, and could be satisfying for children with EAL. The story focuses on similarities between different cultures, because the story appears to be set in Japan, but could easily be a day which has passed in England. It is important to challenge children's stereotypes about places which are far away, and which they know little about, and I think this is a gentle yet powerful way of doing so.

[Andy Verschoyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Its a conversation piece. Wide audience. Simple reader with eloquent, detailed artwork inviting description. The idea of "a day in the life of a park bench" will be new for a young reader / listener and there is so much the is interesting to chat about - and its all about people.

There is dramatic unity of time ( one day ) and place (the bench sits under a shady tree in the middle of a lovely park) and plot ( the same family enter at the beginning and leave at the end); and the park worker, together with the bench he lovingly cares for, is a physical manifestation of the calm, considerate and inclusive spirit of the park.

[Chloe Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story. I liked how on some pages the illustrations were snippets to show detail and the busyness of the park. Each of the people in the park could be considered further such as writing from their viewpoint or doing a character description. The bench is personified 'listens carefully' so the children could think of the effect of this and could be used for teaching this technique in context. The bench is used by a range of different people. Some of the pages are one colour eg green or purple so the use of colour could be considered. The park worker takes care of the bench well. The children in the park use the bench in their games where it turns into different things.

[Melissa Buck · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing story about finding the beauty in imperfect objects. The book shares the story of a park bench, who often is overlooked, has its own unseen perfection for everyone who uses it. Throughout the day you see people pass by the bench either to rest, meet friends or be transformed into a new object in a group of children's role play. Translated from Japanese by Ruth Kanagy, you see the park bench in a new light, to who hopefully will be seen by everyone oneday.

[Alice Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely story about a day in the life of a park bench and the people who visit it. This would be great for a drama lesson as the children could play a game where they have to take in turns to role-play a park bench scene as a character of their choice. It is a dual-language book and so it could be read in a class where there's a child who speaks Japanese, they would feel included in sharing the book with their friends.

[Becca · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is a two-page spread illustration of a park in the middle of the story. I displayed it using a document camera one page at a time and told the students to spy all of the activities going on in the park while I counted to 15 on each page. Then I closed the book and asked them to tell what they noticed--one activity per child with no repeats allowed. The kids enjoyed playing this memory game, and it broke up the rather quiet story line quite nicely. We played I Spy with a few of the other illustrations, too. I really read this story so that the students could see Japanese writing, as the book has both English and Japanese text.

[Mathew · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a little masterpiece and a meditation, perhaps, on Wabi-Sabi. In the space of one day, we are invited to observe all that happens to one well-loved park bench. As the day opens in a hazy mist, the park is revealed and the park keeper comes to pay special attention to the old bench whose day is just beginning.
Written poetically (and translated by Ruth Kanagy), we watch as the first park attendee arrives, an elderly man who wishes to feed the birds and smell the flowers. He finds that the bench is placed in the perfect spot and rests until a mother arrives with her baby. They play, he moves on and the mother is joined by a friend and her child.
And so the day goes. The bench and the park have many visitors and sometimes Suzuki will pan the camera out and invite us to watch from above or swoop down for an intimate moment or two on the bench. The whole thing is just perfectly orchestrated and I loved it. The message here is bigger than a simple look-and-find activity, it is a deep and meaningful mediation on life.

[Lauren Drake · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a lovely book about what happens at the park and in particular on the white park bench during a day and how the caretaker looks after it, making sure it is at its best and ready for the next day. There is lots going on on each page which could encourage children to infer what else is happening in the park at that time.
This book is translated from Japanese, however the Japanese text is still there - this could be particularly effective if there is a child who speaks Japanese in the class.

[Pikupikku · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember always reading this book when i was still in elementary through middle school. it was my favorite book
now I'm 20 years old in it's still my favorite now that I have it as my own, from ordering off Amazon I'm as happy as that once kid was.😌😭😊

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A park bench in Japan has a very similar "life" to a park bench in the US. I liked this story for exposing my kids to the written Japanese language. Additionally, I enjoyed being able to discuss how even though cultures are different around the world, there are many similarities as well.

[Lucy Hart · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a really sweet story about what happens in the park. I enjoyed reading about the different people going to the bench speculating what they may be doing when they are not there. I think this would be a good book to use in a classroom when teaching about other cultures (Japan).

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bilingual! Lovely.

[Kyoko · Rating 3 out of 5]

Its atmosphere is nice and calm explaining the worker's day related to a park bench. It can introduce the change of the day and relation to community. However, it is a little long for beginning readers in Japanese.

[Michelle White]

This book is good for pre-school or kindergarten. I got this book from the IUS Library.

[Rani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Told from the perspective of a park bench, the happenings of the park are described. Engaging and introduced readers to Japanese setting. Wonderful pictures.

[Little Champs]

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