Book cover image:
Book Summary: Clover
has always been told to never cross the fence into the other side, the “white
side,” because it is not safe for her. When she begins to become friends with
Annie, the little white girl on the other side of the fence, she struggles with
maintaining her friendship when society tells them that they cannot play
together. Finding a loophole with the rules to not go to the other side of the
fence, Clover and Annie decide to sit on it and enjoy their friendship. They
note that one day the fence will finally be knocked down.
APA Reference of Book:
Woodson, J., & Lewis, E. B. (2001). The other side. New York, NY:
Putnam's.
Impressions: Leave
it to two young girls to prove to society that people are taught to be racist.
Clover and Annie may notice each other’s skin color, but they don’t care. They
just see another girl to play with by the fence. The time period influences
about race and skin color don’t affect the girls, and they never quite
understand why they are never allowed on the other side of the fence. I love
how the fence is both a literal barrier between the white family and the black
family as well as a metaphor for the barrier that society has placed between
those who are white and black. The fact that the girls say that someday the
fence will be knocked down is a reference to the day where kids and adults can
co-exist and enjoy each other’s company regardless of their skin color.
Professional Review:
The
other side [Review]. (2001). Kirkus Reviews, (1).
Race relations, a complex issue, is addressed in a simple
manner through the eyes of two young girls, one black and one white, on either
side of a fence that divides their yards and, in fact, the town. Both girls
have been instructed not to go on the other side of the fence because it's not
safe. Each stares at the other, yearning to know more, but they don't
communicate. When Annie, the white girl, climbs on the fence and asks to jump
rope, she is told no by the leader of the black group. The narrator, Clover,
has mixed feelings and is unsure whether she would have said yes or no. Later,
the girls, with their mothers, meet on the sidewalk in town, looking very much
the same, except for the color of their skin. When asked why the mothers don't
talk, the explanation is, "because that's the way things have always
been." During the heavy summer rains, Annie is outside in her raincoat and
boots, having fun splashing in puddles--but Clover must stay inside. When the
rains stop, Clover is set free, emerging as a brave soul and approaching Annie
in the spirit of her freedom. Eventually, the story finds both girls and all of
Clover's friends sitting on the fence together, kindred spirits in the end.
"Someday somebody's going to come along and knock this old fence down,"
Annie says. What a great metaphor Woodson has created for knocking down old
beliefs and barriers that keep people apart. Children learn that change can
happen little by little, one child at a time. Award-winning Lewis's lovely
realistic watercolor paintings allow readers to be quiet observers viewing the
issue from both sides. (Picture book. 5+)
Library Uses: Librarians can use this book to bring up the ideas of
prejudice. Have students discuss what prejudice is and if it is learned or born
within a person. Look at symbolism and metaphors.
Have the students answer the following question: What does the fence symbolize? Have the students create a fence and research two sides of an issue, placing differing viewpoints on each side of the fence. Discuss findings.
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