Voices in the Park

Summary

Voices in the Park tells the story of an afternoon in the park through four different narrators: a mother and her child, and a father and his child. Each retelling shifts the tone, imagery, and style of the book, showing how the same events can look and feel completely different depending on perspective. Browne’s surrealist illustrations reinforce these shifts, changing colors, shapes, and moods with each voice. The book invites readers to consider how emotions, personality, and worldview affect the way we experience reality and how we perceive one another.

Guidelines for Discussion

Voices in the Park is especially rich for introducing children to the idea of perspective. The same day looks joyful and freeing to one character, anxious and judgmental to another, gloomy to a third, and hopeful to the last. For children, this offers a concrete way to explore how different people can experience the same situation in very different ways. Facilitators can ground the discussion in everyday examples: Have you ever disagreed with a friend about whether something was fun? Did you both experience the same event differently?

This naturally leads into questions about subjectivity and objectivity. The book shows that fences, trees, and lampposts remain the same, but the way they appear shifts depending on who is narrating. This tension provides a gentle entry point to questions about what is “really” there and what is colored by our feelings. A facilitator can guide children to notice the artwork: Why is the park darker in one version and brighter in another? Does the park itself change, or just the way the character sees it? Keeping the questions rooted in the pictures helps children grasp abstract ideas without losing the thread of the story.

The shifting perspectives also allow for inquiry into emotions and how we recognize them in others. When one character says someone “looked sad,” what does that mean? How do we know if someone is sad, or just looks sad? Children may say that emotions show in faces or actions, but they may also notice that we can misread each other. Encouraging them to share examples from their own lives—times when someone thought they were angry when they were really tired, for instance—helps them connect the story to their own experiences of being misunderstood.

The book also opens the door to deeper existential questions: How do we know what others are thinking or feeling at all? Can we ever be sure another person’s experiences are like our own? These questions can be framed gently, with the facilitator reassuring students that there are many possible answers and that part of philosophy is exploring them together. What matters most is keeping the dialogue open, inviting reasons, and allowing multiple perspectives to coexist—just as the book presents four perspectives side by side.

Discussion Questions

Metaphysics and Perspective

1. Which character sees the world most like you do?
2. Do you think one of the characters sees the “true” world, or do they all see it differently?
3. If someone tells you they see a different color or shape, how can you know if they are wrong or right?

Subjectivity and Emotions

1. Why does Smudge’s dad say we need hope? Do you agree?
2. How does Charlie’s mom’s judgmental and cynical attitude affect the way she sees the world?
3. When the book says, “He looked sad,” what does sadness look like? What is the difference between looking sad and being sad?

Identity and Understanding Others

1. Can you copy someone’s handwriting or voice? Can you also copy their feelings or their senses?
2. How do we know what other people are feeling or thinking?
3. Can two people experience the same event but have completely different stories about it?

Suggested Activity: Seeing Differently

A powerful way to help students connect with Voices in the Park is to let them experience how perspective shapes the way we describe the same thing. Begin by choosing a common object or image to focus on—this could be a photograph of a park, a classroom chair, a stuffed animal, or even the classroom itself. The key is to pick something familiar and neutral that all students can observe together.

Explain to the group that they will each describe the same object, but from different perspectives. To make this easier, assign specific roles or “voices.” For example, ask one student to describe the object as if they are feeling very happy, another as if they are sad, another as if they are angry, and another as if they are excited. You can also extend this by asking students to imagine being different characters from the book—such as Charlie’s mother, Smudge’s father, or the children themselves—and describe the object through that character’s eyes.

As each student shares their description, record the words or phrases they use on the board or chart paper. Once several students have contributed, pause and read the descriptions back. Point out the contrasts: the happy voice might see the object as bright and fun, while the sad voice might describe it as dull or empty. Ask the group: Did the object itself change? Or did the feelings and perspectives change the way it was described?

After this first round, you can invite more students to try with different emotions or perspectives. For variety, you might choose a second object or switch to a short scene (for example, “describe what recess is like if you are really tired” versus “if you are really excited”).

To conclude, connect the exercise back to the book. Remind students that in Voices in the Park, the same day looked very different depending on who was telling the story. Ask: What does this activity show us about how perspective works? Can two people experience the same event but have completely different versions of it? How can this help us understand why the characters in the book saw the park so differently?

This activity not only reinforces the book’s message about perspective but also gives students an immediate, embodied sense of how emotions and attitudes shape our experience of the world. It also sets the stage for deeper philosophical questions about subjectivity, empathy, and how we know what others are feeling.