Voices in the Park discussion

In the picture book “Voices in the Park”, by Anthony Browne, a beautiful book with an important message for children and adults is revealed. I did not know what to expect when the story started off as a normal day, a mother taking her child and dog to the park. I liked seeing each page knowing it would be different. The coloring is not as vibrant but it still catches your eye without having a focal point to each picture. There were illustrations in the book that most children wouldn’t catch as well as a mature reader would, which is why it can be a great book for anyone. I loved how the plot evolved with time, as the seasons changed as well. I think this book would be a great read aloud for fourth graders because of the vocabulary and the story can be confusing without reading it with the correct punctuation. Browne was great at making the moral of the story clear. I can picture children’s reactions after reading it. A good discussion would be about equality and class to teach to older children. There can also be different conclusions and lessons children can learn from this. I think a great activity to do would be a huge “melting pot” in your own classroom. You can have each child write something unique and different about themselves and mix it in a bowl. In the end, what children write on them will vary, but it will still look like everyone else’s.