The animal depictions also force readers to focus on other artistic elements that imply socioeconomic status and gender roles. The depiction of the mother character implies wealth, and stereotypical attitudes of wealthy women. The depiction of the father character implies poverty, and stereotypical (or perhaps not-so stereotypical) attitudes of poor men. The children seem to transcend gender stereotypes, as the boy takes on more of a female gender role. He is reluctant to play with the girl, and less outgoing. The girl wants to play with the boy, and is much more outgoing. She seems to convince the boy to play, which is not very characteristic of girls in most stories. 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’. 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. After the kids have made their predictions on what the book Voices in the Park is about, read the first voice. This is the voice of the stern women. After you read her story, stop reading and ask the kids this question: Mrs Smythe intends to go to the park to give her dog and son some fresh air and exercise. Mr Smith seems to be at the park because it is a pleasant place to sit and read the classifieds, quite possibly nicer than his own kitchen. THE BIG STRUGGLE

Anthony Browne has avoided making commentary on race by giving the humans the bodies of gorillas. This is one reason ( among many) why illustrators/storytellers utilise animal bodies when telling stories about humans. This illustration is from the eye-level of a child. Smudge sees the park as her personal carnivalesque playground, hence the fruit in the distance. Einari Wehmas (Finnish, 1898-1955) In The Park 1920-1. Note the similar palette of yellow and orange juxtaposed against green. MRS SMYTHE Of course, books mean different things to different people. However, it is interesting to list the varying ideas the children have. One Y6 class I worked with recently listed the following ideas: happiness; relationships; money doesn’t make you happy; making friends; the dogs are the happiest; posh people and snobs; things are not what they seem. 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.) printables” section- 7 worksheets ready for immediate printing and distribution for students, including an assessment piece on the “fifth voice”Australia’s first Postmodern picture book is thought to be The Watertower, written by Gary Crew and illustrated by Steven Woolman (1994). See also Caleb, by the same duo. Unfortunately these books are a little difficult to source now. This book belongs into the Contemporary Realistic Fiction genre. This genre is defined by a vivid, realistic setting; multidimensional, credible characters; and believable problems that are understood by the intended age group. Voices in the Park, satisfies these criteria. This is a plausible story that could happen in today’s world. An upper-class mother and son could walk their dog to the park and meet other people who may not be of the same socioeconomic status as they are. There are other parts of the story that qualify this text in this type of genre. This is a realistic occurrence that can happen daily, with easily understood problems for the reader. The characters in the story make it easy for children to relate to through use of language and how they interact with each other.

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)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 Smudge mistakes mini-misogynist Charles for a wimpy one, who gradually warms to her. I believe this is how the reader is supposed to interpret Charlie’s character arc too, but I keep thinking about the distinction between sexism and misogyny, and how Browne only subverts one of those aspects for his boy character. DESIRE I love using the work of Anthony Browne in my classroom, and my students thoroughly enjoyed these units of work, particularly the consolidation tasks with Creative Arts integrated throughout.

Look at the illustrations of nighttime scenes. Could you create your own pictures which feature silhouettes of people / objects?It is somewhat true that money can’t buy happiness. It is also true that a base amount of household income is vital for a base level of happiness. The misconception ‘that poor people are happier’ can be misappropriated by the wealthy and powerful to assuage any guilt they might otherwise feel around resource hoarding. “Don’t worry about them. They’re poor, sure, but poor people are happy.” NEW SITUATION I really didn’t enjoy the choice to make the “people” depicted as monkeys/apes?? The one place where it worked for me and that gave me a good laugh was on the sign of the homeless panhandler.