SuitabookThe Wall in the Middle of the Book
Jon Agee
- Reading
- Read the spreads slowly, pausing before turning pages to inspect both sides. Invite the child to predict what the knight has missed, then revisit those predictions after the visual surprises.
- Themes
- Judging across a boundary: A wall divides the knight from animals on the other side, and the knight confidently describes his own side as safe and theirs as unsafe. The story clearly invites readers to question first impressions and one-sided judgements.
- Trusting the narrator: The knight narrates confidently in the first person, while illustrations reveal information that complicates what he says. The book uses disagreement between narration and imagery to make readers inspect how knowledge is presented.
- Worth knowing
- The knight regards the other side as unsafe, while the illustrations complicate that judgement. The animals are described as angry-looking, but the book’s full treatment of them and the ending remain unclear.