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list price: $19.95
edition:Hardcover
also available: eBook
category: Children's Fiction
published: Feb 2021
ISBN:9781772033519
publisher: Heritage House Publishing

Painted Fences

by Sara Cassidy, illustrated by Sydney Barnes

tagged: multigenerational, military & wars
Description

A charming and evocative story within a story, exploring themes of wartime resourcefulness, local history, friendship, and the reverberations of the past in the present day.

On a beautiful spring day in Victoria’s James Bay neighbourhood, eight-year-old Esther takes a walk with her great-grandfather on his birthday. On the same street and the same date, but seventy-five years earlier, two enterprising young boys go door to door offering to give people’s fences a fresh coat of paint so that they can earn a few extra cents in an era of wartime austerity.

These parallel timelines converge as Esther’s great-grandfather pauses to show her an old fence with multi-coloured layers of peeling paint. He recognizes the avocado-green layer that he painted with his friend one spring day, way back in 1945—an unforgettable birthday that ended up being V-E Day, when the Allies defeated the Nazis in World War II. Through whimsical illustrations and vivid characters, this simple story shows how a pivotal event in history affects ordinary people and brings generations closer together.

About the Authors

Sara Cassidy is a writer and editor. She is the author of 17 children’s books, including Genius Jolene, winner of the Sheila A. Egoff Children's Literature Prize, and Nevers, which was shortlisted for the Governor General’s Literary Award. Her books have been nominated for numerous awards, including the Silver Birch Express Award, the Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Award, the Rocky Mountain Book Award and the Chocolate Lily Award. Sara also writes nonfiction and poetry for adults and works in communications for the BC Ministry of Health. She lives in Victoria, British Columbia.


Sydney Barnes is an illustrator and graphic designer with a life-long passion for books. She holds a master of publishing degree from Simon Fraser University and runs a design business called SJBarnes Design. She lives in Victoria, British Columbia.

Recommended Age, Grade, and Reading Levels
Age:
4 to 8
Grade:
p to 3
Editorial Review

Painted Fences does an excellent job portraying what life was like for a child at the time of World War II. ... There are lovely sentiments and learning for children ... with discussion and conversation about Remembrance Day, World War II, and also intergenerational memoirs and the passing of time.

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