Pistes d'exploration

Discuss why both girls have been told by their mothers not to cross over the fence. What is the significance of the fence? Does this type of thing happen today?

Research (with a partner) how blacks and whites used to be segregated. Research whether such situations still occur today. Make a poster to teach others about your findings.

Write about the consequences of the two girls not mixing with each other. In your opinion, would there be consequences for these two girls playing together in your neighbourhood? What about in other parts of the world?

How are these girls’ lives the same as or different from your life in the summer? Use a Venn diagram to show your results.

Discuss how blacks and whites used to be segregated. Does segregation still exist today? Are there other situations/countries where we can find segregation?

Discuss why both girls have been told by their mothers not to go over the fence. What is the significance of the fence? Is the fence a symbol? Does this type of thing happen today?

Fifty Cents and a Dream: Young Booker T. Washington, Night Boat to Freedom, Freedom Summer

Mots-clés

Picture book , equality , friendship , illustrations (watercolours) , overcoming adversity , point of view , segregation , summer

Commentaire descriptif

Clover's mother warns her not to cross the fence that separates their black side of town from the white side. But one day, after noticing a white girl named Annie sitting on the fence, Clover's curiosity is piqued. Eventually, the pair strike up a friendship. They sit perched side-by-side on top of the fence, thereby circumventing the grown ups’ “do not cross” rule, without disobeying anyone. Even Clover's friends join in. Full-page watercolour paintings of children in dungarees and summer dresses help convey both the realism and the innocence of the rural neighbourhood setting. Annie's final declaration that “Someday somebody's going to come along and knock this old fence down” will provoke rich discussion on the symbolism of the fence and on issues of divisiveness and equality. The tenth anniversary edition includes an author's note advocating her hope for a new world. Told through Clover's eyes, this read-aloud addresses the complex issue of racial segregation in a way that even young readers will understand.