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Talking Walls
Talking Walls introduces young readers to different cultures by exploring the stories of walls around the world and how they can separate or hold communities together. American Bookseller "Pick of the Lists;" Boston GLobe Top 25 Non-Fiction Children's Books, 1992; ALA Booklist, Starred Review; Horn Book, Noteworthy Book, 1993. Full-color illustrations.
40 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1992
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
June 26, 2010
I read the sequel, Talking Walls: The Stories Continue, first; it took much effort and time to get a copy of this book from my inter-library loan system.
This book is only very slightly obsolete. it was published when South Africa was still under Apartheid, and one of the wall’s description had some background information about it. But, most of the walls covered are timeless, and all offer a wonderful way to view history, art, cultural differences, etc.
The illustrations perfectly match each wall’s page, and they have a grand feel about them, which suits the book’s subject well.
There are many types of walls covered. (I also highly recommend the sequel to this book and I hope there will be more such books.) At the end of the book, each wall has an expanded section of text with a much fuller description, and sometimes mention of other such walls or other such people/movements/etc. On the inside front and back covers the word wall is written in English and thirty-five other languages.
Children will enjoy reading this book on their own, but it’s a book that provides much for discussion, so studying it with others, including in classroom settings, might provide a richer reading experience.
The walls covered in this book (I wish I had listed the specific walls featured in the second book!) are The Great Wall of China, Aborigine Wall Art, The Lascaux Cave, The Western Wall, Mahabalipuram’s Animal Walls, Muslim Walls, Great Zimbabwe, Cuzco Peru, The Taos Pueblo, Mexican Murals, The Canadian Museum of Civilization, The Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Nelson Mandela’s Prison Walls, and The Berlin Wall.
This book and Talking Walls: The Stories Continue are ones I’d love to have in my home library. They’re the kind of books that can be enjoyed by children in a wide age range, and more and more will be understood as children mature. They’re also terrific books for inspiring further study about one or more of the subjects that are included.
This book is only very slightly obsolete. it was published when South Africa was still under Apartheid, and one of the wall’s description had some background information about it. But, most of the walls covered are timeless, and all offer a wonderful way to view history, art, cultural differences, etc.
The illustrations perfectly match each wall’s page, and they have a grand feel about them, which suits the book’s subject well.
There are many types of walls covered. (I also highly recommend the sequel to this book and I hope there will be more such books.) At the end of the book, each wall has an expanded section of text with a much fuller description, and sometimes mention of other such walls or other such people/movements/etc. On the inside front and back covers the word wall is written in English and thirty-five other languages.
Children will enjoy reading this book on their own, but it’s a book that provides much for discussion, so studying it with others, including in classroom settings, might provide a richer reading experience.
The walls covered in this book (I wish I had listed the specific walls featured in the second book!) are The Great Wall of China, Aborigine Wall Art, The Lascaux Cave, The Western Wall, Mahabalipuram’s Animal Walls, Muslim Walls, Great Zimbabwe, Cuzco Peru, The Taos Pueblo, Mexican Murals, The Canadian Museum of Civilization, The Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Nelson Mandela’s Prison Walls, and The Berlin Wall.
This book and Talking Walls: The Stories Continue are ones I’d love to have in my home library. They’re the kind of books that can be enjoyed by children in a wide age range, and more and more will be understood as children mature. They’re also terrific books for inspiring further study about one or more of the subjects that are included.
November 24, 2019
Author Margy Burn Knight and illustrator Anne Sibley O'Brien - who also worked together on
Who Belongs Here?: An American Story
, as well as the sequel to this one,
Talking Walls: The Stories Continue
- present the stories of fourteen walls in this picture-book tour of the world's peoples and cultures. From walls that divide (the Berlin Wall, the walls of Nelson Mandela's prison) to walls that remember (the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial, the Aboriginal rock wall, with paintings from as long ago as 30,000 years), the walls depicted here serve many purposes, and have many meanings, but in the end, the are all a record of human activity, of one kind or another.
Talking Walls is an engaging introduction to some of the diverse peoples of the world, organized around a theme that I would not have thought to use, myself. I appreciated each story, and the additional notes at the rear, although I did find myself wishing (just a little bit) that the stone walls of New England, which appear on the front endpapers, would have been explored as well. But then, I grew up around those kind of walls. Still, that's a minor (and very personal) quibble, and in no way detracts from the over-all excellence of this title!
Talking Walls is an engaging introduction to some of the diverse peoples of the world, organized around a theme that I would not have thought to use, myself. I appreciated each story, and the additional notes at the rear, although I did find myself wishing (just a little bit) that the stone walls of New England, which appear on the front endpapers, would have been explored as well. But then, I grew up around those kind of walls. Still, that's a minor (and very personal) quibble, and in no way detracts from the over-all excellence of this title!
July 18, 2013
Talking Walls is a historical picture book that tells the stories of walls from around the world. It includes descriptions and history about well known walls such as the Great Wall of China and the Berlin Wall, and also lesser known walls like Aborigine cave walls in Australia and walls of Great Zimbabwe.
Although the illustrations in the book are beautiful, I think it would have been helpful if the author would have included actual photographs and maps with the location of each wall at the end of the book next to the additional descriptions.
The aspect of writing craft that really stuck out to me was what Fletcher calls "a sense of place." The descriptions and history of each wall, the reasons for visiting them, along with the vivid art allow me to really feel as if I was there standing next to each wall watching the people walk by. I felt the author and illustrator did a good job of "trancing the reader into the larger world" of the walls. I think this book could be used to show students how to draw the reader into the setting of a nonfiction type book.
**Fletcher, R. (2013). What a Writer Needs (2nd ed). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.**
Although the illustrations in the book are beautiful, I think it would have been helpful if the author would have included actual photographs and maps with the location of each wall at the end of the book next to the additional descriptions.
The aspect of writing craft that really stuck out to me was what Fletcher calls "a sense of place." The descriptions and history of each wall, the reasons for visiting them, along with the vivid art allow me to really feel as if I was there standing next to each wall watching the people walk by. I felt the author and illustrator did a good job of "trancing the reader into the larger world" of the walls. I think this book could be used to show students how to draw the reader into the setting of a nonfiction type book.
**Fletcher, R. (2013). What a Writer Needs (2nd ed). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.**
March 28, 2016
Talking Walls was a wonderful non-fiction picture book taking it's reader on a trip around the world to look at many different great walls. It looks at the Great wall of China and the Vietnam Memorial wall in DC. It looks at cave walls and prison cell walls. Knight did such a wonderful job explaining each wall in a short and interesting paragraph which makes it much easier for young readers to understand and stay interested.
I think this would make a great addition to a cultural unit in which you could pull out this book and read about a different culture, country, and/or wall every day. There were some interesting walls in there that I hadn't heard of and wanted to look up more about and can imagine would create the same desire in kids as they learn about many different types of walls around the world.
I think this would make a great addition to a cultural unit in which you could pull out this book and read about a different culture, country, and/or wall every day. There were some interesting walls in there that I hadn't heard of and wanted to look up more about and can imagine would create the same desire in kids as they learn about many different types of walls around the world.
November 7, 2008
Beautifully colored images that bring enchantment to the walls and history of the world.
The text is a bit too "factual" in parts and would've benefited from a bit more of a story approach rather than the tour-guide feel that it left.
The text is a bit too "factual" in parts and would've benefited from a bit more of a story approach rather than the tour-guide feel that it left.
June 21, 2010
Awesome non-fiction that features how humans have communicated, even when walls were there. And, a good emphasis on the invisible walls we erect as well...
Great blend of history, culture, and social relationships written in kid-friendly language.
Great blend of history, culture, and social relationships written in kid-friendly language.
February 11, 2015
'Talking Walls' is very informative and descriptive. It is an excellent resource to use with struggling readers when researching other cultures, etc because the pictures are realistic and the text is short.
March 28, 2013
I learned about this book from the February 2013 edition of Educational Leadership. What a wonderful book. It is one that would be a great addition to any school and/or classroom library.
June 19, 2013
this book is great. I will be using it in my 6th grade social studies class next year.
July 7, 2010
I was really disappointed with the illustrations in this book. I think older students would prefer photos to illustrations since this book discuss actual places in the world. The histories of each wall are a couple of paragraphs each. Probably reading about one wall at a time would be best. I also think including photos would be a good idea. The prison wall of Nelson Mandela seemed completely random. Most walls are monuments while this one seems more forced into this category.
My favorite walls in this book were the chiseled animals of India, the chalk drawings by aborigines in Australia, and the walls of Cuzco, Peru. I liked these because they are less famous walls with very interesting histories.
My favorite walls in this book were the chiseled animals of India, the chalk drawings by aborigines in Australia, and the walls of Cuzco, Peru. I liked these because they are less famous walls with very interesting histories.
March 2, 2014
A good book for older (7 to 10) children. Great illustrations and descriptions of all kinds of walls and structures from all over the world. you really learn a lot reading thid book.
December 2, 2015
Talking Walls by Margy Burns Knight, illustrated by Anne Sibley O’Brien – Fascinating to explore history of different walls around the world…
May 7, 2016
This book is interesting with information on walls in different countries such as the Great Wall of China and the Berlin Wall, but I really didn't care for the illustrations.
May 31, 2018
Non-fiction
Informational-Multicultural
Informational-Multicultural
September 17, 2018
Each 2-page spreads describes a wall somewhere in the world and why it is important. This could spark great discussion with students and easily lead into extension activities.
April 28, 2022
If Walls could talk, what would they say to you about history? This book tells the tale of 14 walls in the world. Each wall tells you, the reader, important facts about the wall and its culture. It portrays the way children live with these walls. Beautiful and very colorful illustrations.
June 17, 2023
This is an excellent historical book for kids and teens! It has a great deal of information, fantastic pictures, and diverse characters! Highly recommended!
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews