The Other Side

Clover has always wondered why a fence separates the black side of town from the white side. But this summer when Annie, a white girl from the other side, begins to sit on the fence, Clover grows more curious about the reason why the fence is there and about the daring girl who sits on it, rain or shine. And one day, feeling very brave, Clover approaches Annie. After all, why should a fence stand in the way of friendship?

Beautifully rendered in Earl B. Lewis's striking, lifelike watercolor illustrations, Jacqueline Woodson gives us a moving, lyrical narrative told in the hopeful voice of a child confused about the fence someone else has built in her yard and the racial tension that divides her world.

This wonderful story shows just how confusing segregation is to children and how they resolve it for themselves.

This book was absolutely wonderful. I must say a few words about the seller in my review because the book was brand new and I felt so safe buying from this seller through Amazon. My students enjoyed this book, I used it for a lesson on Comparing and Contrasting. We compared and contrast the Main Characters. My students who are special ed students easily found many likes and differences in the two characters. The story is wonderful and teaches about tolerance of differences as well. Absolutely wonderful and can be used for so many reading skills you may want to teach.

The Other Side

I used this picture book to teach symbolism to my middle school students. My students connected Woodson's fence to Jerry Spinelli's Hector Street in our class novel, Maniac Magee. After an engaging reading,they concluded that both the fence and Hector Street represent that which divides us: ignorance. Picture books, especially The Other Side,are excellent tools for teaching literary elements. Most importantly, students of all ages enjoy them.

"Don't you ever cross that fence child!" A little colored girl was playing out on her swing, and then came a white girl. They both looked at eachother in confusion. In the early 1900's, there was many problems between colored people and whites. They just didnt get along very well. The colored girl ran inside and asked her ma why she couldn't cross the fence. She told her baby girl that, many people are different, and we are not the same as them. The next day, her family had a get-together, and her cousin's were over. The white girl came outside and asked if she could play jumprope with them. And, after that many different things have been said. What has been said? Find out by reading, "The Other Side."

"Don't you ever cross that fence child!" A little colored girl was playing out on her swing, and then came a white girl. They both looked at eachother in confusion. In the early 1900's, there was many problems between colored people and whites. They just didnt get along very well. The colored girl ran inside and asked her ma why she couldn't cross the fence. She told her baby girl that, many people are different, and we are not the same as them. The next day, her family had a get-together, and her cousin's were over. The white girl came outside and asked if she could play jumprope with them. And, after that many different things have been said. What has been said? Find out by reading, "The Other Side."