Reviews for Paul and Sebastian

The average rating for Paul and Sebastian based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2016-04-15 00:00:00 Dave Berte "Paul and Sebastian" explores class segregation within a neighborhood. Paul and Sebastian are neighbors, Paul lives in a trailer and Sebastian in an apartment. Their mothers tell the boys not to talk to one another, both state that their neighbors "are not our kind of people". One day, the boys go on a class outing and end up getting lost together after they find shelter under a cabin during a rainstorm. While under the same roof, they begin to talk and realize that they are not too different after all. I think this is a great book for young children to read to help them realize that class is just a social construct, at the end of the day we are all human. How are characters' lives and perspectives interrelated and interdependent? How are these interconnections shown in the text and image? Both boys are ordered by their mothers to avoid any interaction with each other even though they are neighbors and go to the same school. The text and illustrations depict the boys walking on opposite sides of the street to show how distinct they felt they were from one another. Both view themselves as different despite of the fact that the boys were friends in the beginning of the book. This book demonstrates how once people realize what class they or their friends belong to, their opinions of themselves and others may change. Paul and Sebastian were not aware of what class they belonged to until their parents told them not to play together anymore because they were "too different". This book shows how what adults say can greatly influence the way children treat others. Young children do not notice class status until parents or others around them point it out in a negative light. How and by whom are perceptions of difference transformed, and with what implications for future relations? By the end of this book, the boys have a bond because they were both lost together after running from the rain, the fact that one lives in an apartment and the other lives in a trailer has nothing to do with the situation. Both of their perceptions were transformed, they became friends and played together when they returned home.

Review # 2 was written on 2013-04-10 00:00:00 Edward Stufflebeam Paul and SEbastion are neighbors, but their mothers have told them to not like each other because of the kind of home they live in. During a storm the boys take refuge together in a small red cabin and become friends. This book teaches us about how the trivial and arbitrary opinions we might have of each other can be hurtful. Embracing diversity is a better way of living.