Anthony Browne, a Hans Christian Andersen Medalist, is the author-illustrator of many acclaimed books for children, including Silly Billy and Little Beauty. He lives in Kent, England.

I have created literacy graphic organizers for Voices in the Park. You can find them at my Teachers Pay Teachers store. There are many activities for each literacy area to differentiate depending on your student’s ability/age. They include activities for: Draw a map showing the different places featured in the story. Use this to show the route taken by each of the voices that day. The story starts with an upper-class mother and son who walk their dog to the park and meet other people who are depicted as coming from a lower class status. What I found interesting within the story is that this can be a realistic occurrence that can happen daily. I consider the characters can also relate to the reader quite accessibly. In my opinion this is done through a good use of language and wonderful illustrations that pose extraordinary features. Although many may find these as unusual, I believe the use of these types of pictures as appealing. Like Belgian surrealist artist, Rene Magritte, Browne uses the same symbol over and over to convey meaning.

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The fourth, and last, voice is the little girl that belongs to the sad father. I will note that the author uses the word “twit” to describe the angry women, so if you would rather avoid that, just change the word to “lady”. But I like to use that as an opportunity to discuss wording and what that word means. Again you are going to discuss who is telling the story and who’s voice is missing, if anyone. Education Shed Ltd, Severn House, Severn Bridge, Riverside North, Bewdley, Worcestershire, UK, DY12 1AB

The father’s walk home will show his emotional state much improved, like the cheerful night before Christmas. Street-Lamp-Flower-Voices-In-The-Park I really enjoyed reading this book in the latest English seminar. I like the use of 4 different voices that reflect their walk in the park, this was also shown by the different fonts for each 'voice.' The children are most likely to say we are missing the little boy’s voice. They may also say the dog. You can ask the kids what you think those voices would say. Read The Second Voice The exception to ‘all on one level’ is the see-saw scene, but the nature of a see-saw is that people take turns being up and down. Effectively, this is an egalitarian metaphor. In this image, the poor girl is higher than the rich boy. Life can thrust us out of riches (more frequently than it thrusts us into them.) Socioeconomic circumstance should be considered, like life, like health, a temporary state which can change suddenly at any time.dramatise the text and present the story as a mini play in four parts – present this to other classes; Four different characters describe their visit to the same park from their perspective. The themes of Voices in the Parks include that not everything is what it seems, our prejudices affect how we view the world, and our actions and emotions affect others. For Mr Smith the battle is keeping his spirits up in the very dispriting state of being unemployed and needing a job. In this lesson, children look at the importance of the illustrations in 'Voices in the Park', and how they can add to the understanding of the story. The animals still have an animalness about them even though they’re obviously meant to be humans. We associate gorillas with ‘big, tough, strong’, therefore ‘big, tough, strong’ nature of humans which then stand for teachers, adults, big people, bullies.

From the cover illustration and from what I’d read about the story, I thought I’d love this book, but I have mixed feelings about it. Through our work, children and young people feel connected to those around them, develop a sense of belonging to their local, national and global communities and take action to create welcoming, kind and connected communities.

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The Laughing (actually Sad) Cavalier and a weeping Mona Lisa sit in a puddle of ‘tears’. The Laughing Cavalier (1624) is a Baroque portrait by the Dutch Golden Age painter Frans Hals. The title is an invention of the Victorian public and press, dating from its exhibition in the opening display at the Bethnal Green Museum in 1872–1875, just after its arrival in England. The unknown subject is in fact not laughing, but his enigmatic smile is amplified by his upturned moustache. The Mona Lisa painting by Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci, considered an archetypal masterpiece of the Italian Renaissance. This is probably the most famous painting in the world. Like the man in the Hals painting above, Mona Lisa is said to have an enigmatic smile. I think Browne has chosen these portraits because their facial expressions can belie a number of similar emotions, dependent upon the emotion of the viewer at any given time. Also, both are well-known for their eyes which ‘follow you around the room’. Kingston University have made an interactive version of Voices in the Park to provide support and guidance for both teacher and pupils. Doonan, J. (1993). Looking at pictures in picture books. 1st ed. South Woodchester (GB): Thimble Press.

The third voice is the little boy from the first story. He is also a sad child looking for a friend to play with at the park. Again you are going to ask the same two questions. “Who is talking in this story?” and “Who’s voice is missing?” The reason we keep asking these questions is to get the children to focus on who is telling the story so we can have more discussions once we have read all four voices. Read The Fourth Voice Stories come in a variety of shapes. Most picture books have a linear storyline. The structure of Voices In The Park is rare. Impressionists have a word to describe it — ‘ parallax‘. (Note, too, that some of the illustrations include Impressionist techniques, at least in comparison to Browne’s signature work — the spots of colour on the orange cover trees are a good example.) The best parts of this story are the illustrations. I think the term that would be used to describes them is postmodern, the surreal way they weave popular works of art, distort the landscape and portray adult and child-like themes is stunning. The more you look at the pictures the more you find hidden. For instance one illustration displays a snowdrop disguised as a lamp post and 'The Laughing Cavalier' dancing down the road with 'The Mona Lisa' evoking feelings of joy. Bowler hats are also hidden in many of the illustrations reminiscent of Rene Magritte. I have a freebie that is part of a larger resourceso that you can try it out in your classroom today!

Teaching Ideas and Resources:

This ending reminds me of a later (wordless) Canadian picture book called “ Sidewalk Flowers” in which a generous girl also ends up with a flower at the end. The flower clearly symbolises innocent friendship in this story but I think it does a little more: A girl who ends up with a flower at the end of a story keeps some of her power/agency, in contrast to Giving Tree plots, in which femme characters are idealised as entirely self-sacrificing. How can you tell who is telling the story? (This is where you can notice the font change as well as how the story is being told)