Sometimes a Wall

The author, Diane White, dedicates this book to Stephanie Green “who asked for a book about walls.” One has to wonder if her request was motivated by the “Build the wall!” campaign of the United States presidential candidate turned current president and his supporters. If that political context might be lost to many of the kids who interact with this picture book, it can hardly be lost on any adult readers tuned in at all to world affairs.

But this picture book is presented without political commentary. It is, rather, on its surface, a book which presents walls as objects or structures that can be mean, unfair, or hopeful or overcome for friendship. Let’s hope the same can be said for the walls of world politics, both metaphorical and physical.

I read a digital proof of Sometimes a Wall by Diane White and illustrated by Barroux via NetGalley and the publisher, Owlkids Books.

Sometimes a Wall would be a great read aloud story to teach students about friendship. It would also be a great book to use for teaching making inferences.

Words are used minimally and impact-fully with the illustrations to show the value of inclusion. At younger grades, this book could be for a more social lesson about how to treat others. At older grades, it could be used to start larger conversations about political matters.

Sometimes A Wall depicts a unique way that children will understand what it means to feel separated or different. A wall is physically used to isolate one child from the rest, while everyone is playing. There are not a lot of words to this picture book, but that is fine because the focus is on the images themselves and the feelings evoked by the one or two words on the page. This is a great book to teach kids about how our words and actions can hurt other people. We can build "walls", but we can also break them down and use them in other ways.

I requested and received an e-ARC of this book from Dianne White and Owlkids Books through NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a cute story with simple sentences and single word rhyming text about how walls can divide and unite us. The illustrations were simple and colourful.

The story here is a bit difficult to follow, perhaps because the text is so sparse. It took me a couple of readings to figure out what was going on. Basically, a kid builds walls and ends up alone and sad. And then... walls are apparently a good thing? I'm still not sure.

I really don't like this one. With a title like Sometimes a Wall, I would expect to see both sides of the issue. But the walls in the story are pretty much all negative (at least metaphorically). Sure, a climbing wall is fun, but that's not what we're really talking about here, is it?

I wouldn't recommend this. The message is too muddled.

This charmingly illustrated children’s book is deceptively simple. With brief sentences and rhyming words, Sometimes A Wall is suitable for all ages, but also leaves the space to have conversations with children as they get older. This is a story of how walls can bring us together but also keep us apart, about exclusion and loneliness, but ultimately empathy and friendship.

Well-intended but unfortunately lacking in its execution.

Walls can mean all different things - good, bad, in between. This message is conveyed in a disjointed manner and never came together for me. There have been other books that managed this topic more successfully.

#SometimesaWall #NetGalley
This book would be a great conversation starter in Kindergarten - second grade. With simple line illustrations and few words the story presents the many ways that walls can be used for fun but also to keep others out. A teacher, parent or a trusted adult is an important part of processing and getting the most out of this book.

I love the illustrations in this book! They're so simple, but lovely!

I like the idea of this book. I'm not sure if it's because of the current political climate, but the wall doesn't seem as useful as say a fence. I think mending fences makes more sense and is something children see more often, but I may be alone in that opinion. I think the overall topics that can be discussed with this book are important, but I do wish it had a discussion guide for parents/teachers.

Honestly, I found the rhythm didn't really make sense. I think it was too spare. I'm not sure that I could figure out where the author was going with the story, are these emotional walls? Or border walls? It didn't really make sense.

This book teaches a great lesson in a way that I feel like children will be able to relate to. I love the illustrations, and know that my students will, too!

I received an electronic ARC from Owlkids Books through NetGalley.
This is definitely a read together book to talk about friendship. White uses simple words to create much larger meaning. However, younger readers may need help to understand where the story is going. The illustrations are powerful - especially the character expressions.
Terrific way to talk about walls and how they shut some people out. Also helps to share about how people can connect and reconnect by changing the walls to include others.
The message is needed but may not be clear to the target audience.

"Sometimes a Wall..." by Dianne White provides young readers with an opportunity for imagination. Readers are able to gain a new perspective as the wall is viewed in many ways. Readers also see friendships that grow between children featured in the book. Students are able to see the different ways a situation can be viewed. Good for readers from preschool to 4th grade.

I wanted to like this book. I was introduced to the title in a booklist webinar, and was excited to find it on NetGalley to review. I like the concept of the book, but looking at it from a librarian lens it would be hard to read aloud because of the flow. Maybe it was just how it looked as a pdf and the hardcopy would be a better/easier read aloud, but for me personally it didn't flow. I was also confused at the concept it was trying to get across, are walls good or are they bad? At the end of the story I was unsure about the message.

I loved this book! Such a simplistic way of getting children to think about the damage a wall can do, while also showing that a wall can do good. I would definitely use in my classroom.

I love the text style chosen for this story.. The content Is encourages readers to think about how walls can be positive but then shows how walls can be negative. The artwork is whimsical and colorful. The ending and tagline on the back cover are quite well done.

Lovely and sweet story about how walls can be built to keep people out, or to let them in. After listing and illustrating different types of walls, one child wants to keep the wall for himself, what will the other children do? Wonderful story of the analogy of building a wall to building a friendship.

Simply put, Dianne White conveys many types of walls to the reader. The most important are those that can keep us out or keep us in. With limited text, this book is perhaps too concise in conveying its intended message to the reader, which results in diminishing the power of the idea that it is trying to share. The children may become friends in the end, but never end up inside the wall, which makes the story feel ambiguous and confusing.

Barroux's illustrations are lovely and have an attractive quality to them. Children will appreciate them as they read the story.

This book has so much potential, but is, unfortunately, mediocre.

I thought the illustrations in Sometimes a Wall... are what stole the show in this simple story. The pictures were just stunning, and I think they brought the author's meaning out for children to see. I am not sure what age of audience I would recommend for this story. The text is simple, but the meaning will be too hard for primary kids. Older kids will do a better job with the meaning, but I think the simplicity of the words will not keep their attention.