Voices in the Park by Anthony Browne (1999), is a picture book about two different families and their outing to the park. The scene is retold by each of the characters perspectives; this allows the reader to see life through each of the characters. The characters in the book are all completely different to one another. By isolating each of these points of view, the reader is able to see how each character perceives one another, and what actually happened to each character in these missing pieces of the story.
Browne has used multiple language features in the text to express the theme of the story. In this picture book, the key message of understanding that each character has a different point of view, and perspective is expounded through the authors’ use of reported and quoted speech, action verbs and evaluative language (Browne, 1999). The reported and quoted speech of the participants allows the reader to understanding that each of them has a different viewpoint to the other. An example of this is the reported speech from Charles’s mother immediately some scruffy mongrel appeared and started bothering her, in comparison to Charles there was a very friendly dog in the park and Victoria was having a great time (Browne, 1999). In this example the reader can also see how the evaluative language differs between the participants. Charles sees the other dog as very friendly, whereas his mother sees it as a scruffy mongrel. Action verbs have also been used to show the different perspectives, an example of this is when one character uses the word chased, and implies that it was not fun. Whereas another characters uses the word raced which makes the reader believe that it was more of a game.
Anthony Browne has used detailed images throughout the story, this allows the reader to create a deeper understanding of what’s going on, who or what is taking part, and the surrounding circumstances. In this text, both visual and verbal are used to introduce the dynamic story world of the characters (participants), activities (processes) and setting (circumstance) to the reader (Humphrey, Droga & Feez, 2012). The main participants in this story are Charles, Charles’s mother, Smudge and Smudge’s father, other participants include the dogs, Victoria and Albert. The processes are different for each of the participants retell, for example the reported speech from Charles’s mother (voice 1) I was just planning what we should have to eat whereas the reported speech from Smudge’s father (voice 2) looked through the paper for a job (Browne, 1999). The main setting is the park; however, each clause has its own circumstance e.g. bench, home, house, slide etc.
Throughout the illustrations in this book, the illustrator has used vectors in ways to represent action and emotion. The use of different colours in the images helps to create the moods and feelings of each participant. In Charles’s retell, the reader can actually see how the mood changes from gloom to life when he meets Smudge as the illustrations become brighter and more colourful (Humphrey et al., 2012). The angles and shot distances vary throughout the illustrations, this affects the relationships between both the represented person(s) and the participants and the viewer.
Overall, this is a well-written book that would be enjoyed by both children and young adults. It is a good story that keeps the reader interested by allowing them to see into the other participant’s perspective. It also has detailed illustrations that add to the reader’s interpretation of the book.
Yasmeen Tanner- s2885075
Course- English Education 2- 2105EDN
University- Griffith University
Browne has used multiple language features in the text to express the theme of the story. In this picture book, the key message of understanding that each character has a different point of view, and perspective is expounded through the authors’ use of reported and quoted speech, action verbs and evaluative language (Browne, 1999). The reported and quoted speech of the participants allows the reader to understanding that each of them has a different viewpoint to the other. An example of this is the reported speech from Charles’s mother immediately some scruffy mongrel appeared and started bothering her, in comparison to Charles there was a very friendly dog in the park and Victoria was having a great time (Browne, 1999). In this example the reader can also see how the evaluative language differs between the participants. Charles sees the other dog as very friendly, whereas his mother sees it as a scruffy mongrel. Action verbs have also been used to show the different perspectives, an example of this is when one character uses the word chased, and implies that it was not fun. Whereas another characters uses the word raced which makes the reader believe that it was more of a game.
Anthony Browne has used detailed images throughout the story, this allows the reader to create a deeper understanding of what’s going on, who or what is taking part, and the surrounding circumstances. In this text, both visual and verbal are used to introduce the dynamic story world of the characters (participants), activities (processes) and setting (circumstance) to the reader (Humphrey, Droga & Feez, 2012). The main participants in this story are Charles, Charles’s mother, Smudge and Smudge’s father, other participants include the dogs, Victoria and Albert. The processes are different for each of the participants retell, for example the reported speech from Charles’s mother (voice 1) I was just planning what we should have to eat whereas the reported speech from Smudge’s father (voice 2) looked through the paper for a job (Browne, 1999). The main setting is the park; however, each clause has its own circumstance e.g. bench, home, house, slide etc.
Throughout the illustrations in this book, the illustrator has used vectors in ways to represent action and emotion. The use of different colours in the images helps to create the moods and feelings of each participant. In Charles’s retell, the reader can actually see how the mood changes from gloom to life when he meets Smudge as the illustrations become brighter and more colourful (Humphrey et al., 2012). The angles and shot distances vary throughout the illustrations, this affects the relationships between both the represented person(s) and the participants and the viewer.
Overall, this is a well-written book that would be enjoyed by both children and young adults. It is a good story that keeps the reader interested by allowing them to see into the other participant’s perspective. It also has detailed illustrations that add to the reader’s interpretation of the book.
Yasmeen Tanner- s2885075
Course- English Education 2- 2105EDN
University- Griffith University