Voices in the Park

Rating:
Summary: Sensitive, sweet, surreal book for kids & adults
Review: A rare book that combines exceptional kid-friendly artwork with a sensitive and subtle look at class. How many children's books do that? An outstanding choice for young readers and adult aficionados. I find something new in the illustrations every time i reread it.

Rating:
Summary: My students enjoyed this book very much.
Review: Our class has discussed the book for a week, pointing out all the interesting things that are on each page. We just wanted to know a little something about the author and why he uses gorillias in his books.

Rating:
Summary: This Book Has No Peer
Review: The illustrations are mind-blowing.

My daughter has been enjoying this story since she was two years old, so I highly recommend this book for children much younger than the age 9-12 range that Amazon.com puts it in.

Rating:
Summary: I wish there was a rating above 5 this is so good!
Review: This brilliantly illustrated story is about four different characters, a bossy woman, a poor man, a lonely boy and a young girl, all apes. Each of the moods of the characters personality is reflected in different seasons and each in a different font. With each voice described you begin to understand the story and the events that are occurring in the park that day. One voice at a time you begin to see them all fit together. The little girls story at the end ties them all together.
I believe that with the story the author is suggesting that we open our eyes and see the big picture. Appreciate what is happening around you. I may not be hitting this right but I read this book over and over and I see a deeper meaning in this story then just to describe the occurrence in the park. I believe that the author wanted to show the simplicity in children's thoughts and show that they are so peaceful and appreciate and want to know everything and everyone without any prejudice or immediate assumptions. Also within the pictures there are so many hidden meanings that you wouldn't notice first off. The pictures display the emotions of the character. An example is one picture where Charles, a boy being reprimanded by his strict mother, meets smudge, a happy go lucky girl. His side of the picture is all gloomy skies and her side is happy and colorful.
There are beautiful paintings in this book that catch the eyes of any age. The creativity of using different fonts was wonderful; it keeps kids interested in what they are reading. I love this book and I feel that every time I pick it up I will find something that I had not noticed before and I love books like that.