Anthony Browne's book written in 1998 is deceptively simple...and yet psychologically complex at the same time. Why did I compare it to "Shutter Island"? Well, don't worry about it being a thriller that is going to freak you out and give you nightmares...it is not. I made the comparison because both the book and the movie had me going back to certain parts, looking in detail at them again, wondering why the author/director put them in there.
Browne shows his true surrealist colors in this book. On every page you will find something that is not quite right...it could be subtle like the root of a tree turning into a foot or blatant like Mary Poppins flying around in the background. I have read this book 5 times and seen at least a few new elements each time. The best part about those hidden gems is that they keep you guessing. Why is "The Scream" on the newspaper? Why are there hats hidden everywhere? Like "Shutter Island", those clues actually have meaning to the story. Rather than a "Where's Waldo"- style hunt for objects, these shapes and figures tell you some of the backstory for what is going on in the character's thoughts and feelings. And the great part is that no one really knows the answer. Anthony Browne did not publish a guide to this book, explaining the significance of the surreal images; he wants us to think. He wants us to read it again and again, hypothesizing about the underlying meaning. And this is great to do with kids because they can have such amazing, creative thoughts. I am often astounded by the connections they are able to make and insight they draw from things that adults may glance over. So this book is really for them-- to stop on each page and take a deep look at what is happening. It might be hard to get those details as a read aloud, but it would be great for independent reading.
At the same time, the book is so layered that you can completely ignore the surrealist aspect and pay attention to the message of the story. Four gorillas go to the park, yet each one experiences that day differently. Browne makes the idea of perspective and point of view so beautifully illustrated with his varying fonts and visual styles. In the book, each character has a section to tell his/her story-- this section has its own unique typeset (font and size) that reflects the personality of the character. Also, the vibrancy of the colors changes depending on the mood of the character telling the story. Browne keeps the reader interested by providing a variety of page layouts, sometimes bordered and other times full bleeds. It is incredibly rich that you have to read it over and over to really get the full effect.
In the classroom, this book would be great for looking at multiple perspectives. You could even use it as a jumping off point to talk about time periods in history where understanding the varying perspectives is crucial. You could also have the students act out the varying 'voices' of the characters to understand what it feels like to step into someone else's shoes. This book could teach empathy that way-- helping children realize that not everyone views the same experience in the same way. Finally, the deeper issues of class differences and alienation come up, which could be talked about or overlooked, depending on the age. In the end, it is the friendship that provides hope for the future. What a great book!
We've all heard the story of "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" right? The mischievous little girl who messes with the bear's things...the angry bears who chase her out. Well, as happens to all beloved fairy tales, this one has been re-worked and fractured over the years. My newest experience with a spin on the Goldilocks tale is Anthony Browne's Me and You (2009). You know it is going to be different from the get go...Browne dedicates this book "for all the underdogs". But who is the underdog in this tale? You must read to find out...
The book is practically wordless-- pages and pages go by where the only thing you have to rely on are Browne's incredibly detailed and heartfelt illustrations. The words that do appear are essentially the same as in any Goldilocks story (the porridge, the chairs, the beds), except this time we hear everything from Baby Bear's perspective. Which brings me to the unique aspect of this retelling. Brown chooses to write and illustrate a split narrative, with Goldilocks' experience on the verso and Baby Bear (with his mom and dad) on the recto. The little girl's illustrations are always cast in a dark, gray, dull palette, showing us her gritty reality and filling us with sympathy for her life. She lives in a bleak urban setting. Her story is told in vignettes (3-6 on each page), which help the reader move quickly through her life, understanding that she is not the same girl we are used to reading about. Though she is with her mother, she is often turned away and seems to be longing for something. Then, while following a balloon, she gets lost. And that's how she ends up at the bear's house.
Browne's attention to realistic detail shows you the graffiti on the walls, the anguish on her face when she is separated from her mother, the comfort she feels in the Bear's house. We are drawn to Goldilocks' story because Browne creates her with such drama and sympathy. The only color that appears in her life (besides her own golden locks) is when she is drawn into the warm yellow of the bear's house. There she is no longer downcast and experiences a world different from her own. Thus, we don't blame Goldilocks for going into their house...she is not the brat we are used to reading about.
Meanwhile, on the opposite s
ide of the book, the three bears are colorful (pastel tones), happy, and a family unit. We immediately know that the bears are much better off economically-- they live in a huge house and have plenty of food and furniture. In fact, they are so wrapped up in their world that the parents often have their noses in the air while Baby Bear ' messes around. They are carefree and ignorant of the bleak reality that Goldilocks faces not so far away. (In fact, on the wraparound cover you can see the happy bears in front with a dark Goldilocks, lost and forgotten in the background).
Browne's style and choice of media even further the distinction between the stories-- the subtle, subdued tones of Goldilocks almost appear photographic, while the bears seem to be shaded with colored pencils and appear slightly cartoonlike (with some realism as well).
Browne takes a traditional fairy tale and fills it with an emotion I have never felt in other versions. It is a social commentary on the haves and have-nots, on the social classes that can live right next to each other, but not even be aware of each other's existence. It can teach children to think about how you treat others and try to understand where people come from (before immediately judging them). It is in this version that we get a motive for Goldilock's actions-- perhaps she wasn't so bad after all. Even Baby Bear himself worries about her in the end (after she runs away).
In the classroom, you could use this book in a text set about fractured fairy tales or even in a unit on social justice. I found myself affected by its message and want to add it to my collection.
