Woodson, Jacqueline. On the Other Side. New York, New York: G.P. Putnam's Son, 2001.
Jacqueline Woodson lays this story out like a beautiful poem with her fence that is used as a metaphor for the racial divide. The book is set in the south during the time of racism and the divide between whites and blacks. The story is about a summer friendship that overcomes that racial divide. The narrator, a young African American girl named Clover, lives next to a fence that separates her town. Clover's mother tells her she is never to climb over the fence because it wasn't safe. One summer morning while playing outside, Clover notices a girl on the other side of the fence. Becoming curious of each other as the summer goes by. One day they both finally get up enough guts to meet one another and they decide not to listen to either of their mother's and sit upon the fence which once divided them as if it was meant just for that.
The illustrations in this book are absolutely breathtaking. E.B. Lewis uses watercolor to capture the summer time in the south. The use of blue and yellow in the pictures show happiness and unity. The part where he captures the sadness of Clover not being able to go outside with the rain outside. On one of the pages shows the social status by the separation of the two by a cement line. You can tell the curiosity of the two children yearning to meet one another. Lewis depicts the time with the dresses and the sneakers. The sun is shining but there are dark shadows.
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3 comments:
One thing that is interesting about this book is that there's nothing in the text (words) that implies a historical setting. The illustrations, however, place the story in the ~1950s.
Does this seem like a "problem of the past"? Or one that still has contemporary relevance?
I really liked this book when you introduced it in the book talk! I found it very interesting that the text was written to be contemporary, but illustrated as historical.
I think this book seemed like both a problem of the past, and it still has contemporary relevance. In today's world, segregation is still very prevalent, even though it is not forced institutionally.
I also really liked this book! I liked the story that Valerie told us about how the author didn't intend for it to be set in the past, but the illustrator portrayed it that way. I think that this book can be related to both past and present issues that deal with segregation.
I also really like the book itself and thought that it was a good book for kids.
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