Sometimes a Wall...

A wall: something that keeps people safe; something that keeps people out; something to define a place; something to mark your spot. Elementary school teacher Dianne White has written a book with few words that embrace a big idea.

So many kinds of walls to see.

Chalk wall. Spill wall.

Rock wall. Hill wall.

It all begins in a friendly enough way. Walls are places for playing or working. A wall of grey brick begins to take shape, at first a low ledge being constructed by a group of children working cooperatively. Then it becomes a looming structure taken over by a few, becoming someone’s fortress.

So many things we choose to do.

Stare. Sign.

Unfair. MINE.

Different sides and points of view.

Play? No!

Stay? Go!

But when the mean ‘king of the castle’ sees other children enjoying themselves outside his wall, in fact creating a mural on it with markers and paint, the tide is turned. Everyone joins in to turn the grey wall into a colourful explosion of flowers and vines. The former foes are now friends who can move freely from the outside to the inside of the wall.

This interesting metaphor will be easily understood by young readers, but the very sparseness of the text (there are only 95 words in the whole 32-page book) makes for a rather uneven reading experience. There is a lack of poetic flow to the language that meant that, for me, the story just missed the mark.

The book is of a substantial size, with text that has the appearance of hand-lettering. The illustrations in pen and watercolour feature a variety of children who show hope, anger, sadness and pleasure at different moments. The round faces look like small pies which manage to show expression with just a few lines. The small rounded figures in bright dress start out by discovering all the kinds of walls described. They are industrious in the building of the brick wall (shown with its own blueprint), cheerful in their coming together at the end.

Although published by Owlkids of Toronto, author White is an Arizonan and Barroux, the artist, lives in Paris, France. Sometimes a Wall... is an additional purchase for school and public libraries.