Pistes d'exploration

Use the story as a prompt to discuss the importance of setting. Find examples of other books where setting is very important. Are there some books where the setting is not as important?

Describe the best park you have ever been to. What are some important features of a wonderful park?

Organize the events in the story according to morning, afternoon and evening. Imagine the story set in another location such as a library, metro station or school. How would the events be the same or different?

Choose your favourite character from the story. Draw a picture of him or her in a different setting on the same day. Describe what he or she is doing there.

Using a graphic organizer, group words in categories such as water games, water containers and water words, or park games, people and animals.

Label the park’s physical structures such as pond, bench and slides using some of the park pictures.

Draw a timeline of the action in the park. Observe a nearby park, and draw a timeline for the action there. Compare the two timelines.

Look for a winter park scene or create one. Label the winter objects. Using the text as a model, write a story about this park.

Voices in the Park, In the Tree House, A Cool Drink of Water, Ryan and Jimmy, Run, Dog!

Mots-clés

Picture book , Play , city life , community , dogs , everyday life , routines , time , water

Commentaire descriptif

A city park and all its water sources comes to life on a hot summer day, with dogs and their owners, children, babies and parents, volunteers and ice cream sellers populating every corner of this communal gathering place. From 6:00 when the sun comes up and dogs dip in the pond until 8:00 when the clouds finally roll in and the rain pours down, readers witness a day-in-the-life of splashing, spraying, sipping, pouring and watering, from sprinklers, fountains, hoses, puddles and pools. Illustrations are full of warmth, detailing sensitive portraits of people, places and happenings in the park. Light progresses through the images from sunrise to sundown. There is a sense of contrast between crowded scenes when children flood the playground before lunch and less populated ones where animals or landscape seem to take over. The focus varies from close-up moments to much wider overviews, giving a wonderful sense of place and action. Rhythmic text is simple yet full of life as we get to know the resident dogs and the rituals of the park visitors: “A dad and his boy walk past, on their way home from the diner. The boy rolls up his pant legs and wades in up to his ankles. It’s so warm! The rocks are slippery!” An endearing take on park and city life with water as its focus, the story is imbued with a sense of ritual, routine and the passing of time on a typical day summer day.