Painted Fences

In Painted Fences by Sara Cassidy, illustrated by Sydney Barnes, Afi is walking with his granddaughter, Esther, when they come across an old fence where the layers of paint are visible. Afi then tells her about how he and his friend, Charlie, painted that fence on May 8, 1945. It was Afi’s birthday, and he and Charlie were going to the butcher to buy meat for his birthday dinner, but they lost the money on the way. At the beach, the two boys found cans of paint that washed ashore from the garbage barge. They finally convinced someone in the neighborhood to hire them to paint their fence for 50 cents each so that they could buy the meat and even have some money left over. As soon as they were done, news that Germany surrendered spread throughout town. Afi says his birthday is also V-E Day and it was one of the best birthdays he’s ever had. Esther then asks if they can paint a fence like he and Charlie did, and the book ends with an illustration of Esther picking up paint at a paint exchange at the landfill.

Painted Fences does an excellent job portraying what life was like for a child at the time of World War II. The book includes ration tokens, the cost of food and goods, poverty, fathers away at the front, and the joy of V-E Day. There are also some subtle inferences that young readers or students would need some assistance with noticing and understanding; for instance, Afi’s best friend, Charlie, has a limp and has been sick (implying that he is just recovering from polio).

Just think how angry your dad would be if he was around.

Yeah, but at least he’d be home and not a million miles away. I’m so sick of this stupid war!

Barnes’ illustrations are colourful yet soft and are evocative for the plot. Colour is also used to demonstrate the flashback in time via the use of a sepia colour for all of the illustrations taking place in 1945.

While there are a number of strengths in Painted Fences, there are some shortcomings. The layers of paint as a metaphor for the passing of time could be better developed. Readers know when the avocado green was painted, but what about the others? An illustration or some phrases about the fence being painted again over time would strengthen the metaphor for young readers rather than leaving a gap. At the end of the book, Esther picks up paint at the landfill paint exchange to paint a fence. Is she going to paint a fence with Afi to remember this special day? Which fence? While lingering questions in books can be a good thing, the uncertainty of what’s going to happen next in Painted Fences makes the ending feel abrupt. The shifting back and forth in time for the narrative is also sometimes more successful than others. I thought I had missed a page when Afi is in 1945 and trying to buy meat at the butcher then suddenly in present day he asks his grandchild, “When you put something in the garbage, where does it go?” Afi could also appear older in the present-day illustrations to better represent someone who is in his in 80s.

There are lovely sentiments and learning for children in Painted Fences. The book would be suited for ages 8-12 with discussion and conversation about Remembrance Day, World War II, and also intergenerational memoirs and the passing of time.