Cover Image: Sometimes a Wall...

Sometimes a Wall...

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Member Reviews

This short picture book is about walls (pictures show a castle wall). It would be a great conversation starter about all kinds of walls - good and bad. It might be a little odd if it was read without any follow up conversation. It is a light way to bring up what can be a heavy topic.

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Sometimes a Wall is a book that I couldn't wait to read, expecting largely the message that it delivers. The illustrations are spot-on, but I struggled with the format of the book. The storyline is too young for the level of reader that can follow varying locations of text around a page but doesn't lend itself well to a straightforward read-aloud for the same reason, making it less than ideal for younger listeners. This book could spur valuable conversational bout friendship and exclusion, separation and acceptance, but it would need adult support to really get at the depth of the message. There is definitely teaching value in this book, but it would not be my recommendation for an independent student read.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this digital ARC in return for a fair and honest review.

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This book looks like a good launching point for discussing the pros and cons of walls/boundaries, about solitude v. loneliness, isolation, sanctuary. Illustrations are attractive and engaging, but sometimes a little confusing. Wondering if that will pose a problem for the target audience.

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Sometimes a wall can separate and sometimes it can bring together. In sometimes a wall a group of friends enjoy building a wall and creating a castle and tower, and through it there is an exploration of separation and how they can come back together.

This is largely a simple story with words to describe feelings and emotions. However I really loved the way the children illustrations support the simple text in this story. The playful style of the illustrations serves as a counterbalance to the sometimes serious aspects in the text and keeps it feeling child appropriate while allowing the opportunity to discuss emotions.

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We did not like this book; the kid hated it. Kid says “I don’t understand what this is about.”
Adult says “It’s too abstract and there is no verb and adjective agreement.”
There was no consistent cadence to the one word pages. And a lot of the words were not anything that had to do with a wall or what you could do with a metaphorical wall.
The drawings were cute, but the wall randomly turning into a castle was confusing to not just Kid, but Adult too.

I received an ARC from the author and publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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Love the idea of this book and the artwork is lovely. I just didn't love it as much as I wanted to and having a hard time pin pointing why.

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This has a nice premise (walls can be good or bad and there are lots of kinds of walls) but the delivery is a little lacking. It's one of those picture books where there is the text and then there are random words all over the pages too, making it difficult to read as a read-aloud. It's too youngish for older readers but younger readers will need it read to them (and then you have to point and read random words), so it's hard to say who the designated audience is. I could see it being used as a discussion tool in a classroom, but it's not exactly a book kids would *enjoy* and is too sparse to actually teach much. The art is nice enough and any book that encourages this kind of dialog is nice, but for me it was two stars for "it was okay."

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for the purpose of review.

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Sometimes a Wall takes place on a playground where the children have different walls to experience. They learn that walls can bring us together or keep us apart. Walls can bring out feelings of community or feelings of isolation.

The simple text will keep younger children engaged with its rhyming words. School age students will be use the text and illustrations to use their retelling skills, improving narrative, inferencing, and description skills along the way.

Thank you to OwlKids Books and NetGalley for the electronic ARC for review.

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Sometimes a Wall is a valuable look at today's society and how we create walls, real or imagined, based on perceptions or points of view. In this picture book, children are working together until there is discord and the feelings begin. Such a great story to share with young children in this time of walls being built! The text is sparse, yet says volumes with the illustrations. Use this and possibly Jon Agee's The Wall in the Middle of the Book to look at the perspectives from "both sides of the wall."

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Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for allowing an advance read in exchange for an honest review.

The reading of this picture book is all in the delivery. Children will read it, but I'm not sure they will get the big picture (no pun intended).

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'Sometimes A Wall...' is an interesting picture book that attempts to tackle the difficult subject of walls. It is a good primer on what walls can be used for and represent. Although a pretty simple book, it would probably be best to promote discussion with older elementary aged children and how/why walls are implemented. For younger children, it could be used to teach about bullying. Overall, a pretty interesting book with lovely illustrations.

Thank you NetGalley and OwlKids Books for providing this ARC.

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This book is suitable for preschool and up. It is a good introduction for the basics of what is a wall, and also the deeper meaning of the reasons for walls and their effects on a population. Upper elementary children can use it for discusssions on current political climates and bullying, as well. The illustrations are darling and colorful, the text is simplistic. I would add this to my classroom library and curriculum.

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