The Green Book (Science Fiction)

The Green Book, by Jill Paton Walsh, illustrated by Lloyd Bloom 

(Science Fiction/Intermediate reader)

The Green Book, by Jill Paton Walsh, is about a family that must leave Earth as part of a group setting out to colonize a new planet. Nothing is certain as they begin their journey: Will they reach the new planet safely? Will the planet be able to support life? What surprises and dangers await them? Can they all work together to survive?

This book is a work of science fiction because it is a fictional story imagining possible realities based on scientific notions at the time it was written. It contains themes characteristic of the science fiction genre such as life in the future and survival. The story is set in a time when humans are forced to leave Earth in order to survive because of an impending disaster, a time when mass space travel is possible, a time when people have been prepared and selected to colonize other planets. The setting may be fantastic, with new creatures and unfamiliar seasons, but it is also made believable to the reader (Galda, 2010, p. 209). For example, on the new planet Shine, the group finds trees, but these trees are unlike those on Earth, they are so hard they are nearly impossible to chop down without using of fire to soften the wood. Such details give the created world a sense of authenticity.

The plot is also consistent and logical within the confines of the created story world. One of the greatest challenges the humans run into on Shine is in growing food. This is a real concern in the theoretical concept of colonizing other planets. All native plant matter on their new planet is made of inedible glass-like molecules. It follows that none of the seeds brought from Earth are growing. Their last hope, the wheat appears to be growing with the same native crystalline structure. The plot points all make sense according to the way things work on Shine.

The characters are well-developed as in all quality narrative works. As a group, they have an understanding of their responsibility in colonizing Shine, but individually, they bring different strengths and ideas to the task. The family The Green Book focuses on is especially multidimensional. The father, for example, is trying to carve out a role for himself in the new world to best provide for his family. Drawing on his experience as a mechanic, he is determined to be a maker of "humble cadets; practical things" (Walsh, 1986, p. 40).

The writing style is rich and evocative, lending a real sense of the story world that unifies all the other elements. Here is one description of the setting, “There was never any wind on Shine, never a ripple across the wheat or a movement of water in the lake” (Walsh, 1986, p. 48). Themes are meaningful and include survival, cooperation, hard work, creative thinking, and family.

The book contains some illustrations, although most of the storytelling occurs through the text. The majority of the pictures appear to be either pen and ink or graphite and pencil. Apart from the cover, the illustrations are colorless and representational in style but have a vague quality that lends itself to the overarching sense of this tale of being in the unknown. The inclusion of illustrations will help keep emerging intermediate readers engaged in the story and offer a visual experience of the strange new world the characters have entered.

ACTIVITIES:

1. Use this story as an opportunity to examine and give context to the challenges the group faces as they try to establish their home in the new world, Shine. Learn about where our food comes from, how our water is made safe for drinking, and what our houses are made of. Consider all the work it would take to start a whole new community from scratch without the infrastructure we have in place.

2. As an art activity, have students search the book for descriptive writing about the landscape of Shine and the plants and animals there. Using any medium, have students create their cover illustration for the book using evidence from the text.

READER RESPONSE QUESTIONS:

1. Why was the Father upset by Pattie’s choice of book to take to the new planet initially? How did his view change by the end of the book?

2. Everyone in this book has a role and a way to help establish the new world. Give some examples of ways in which the children helped the group survive.

I would recommend this book as an introduction to science fiction for intermediate readers. With as much focus on the children’s role in the group’s survival as the adult's, the book encourages young readers to think about their role in society. There is a lot of emphasis on teamwork as well, which is always a good theme for young readers to be exposed to. This could also be a good book for slightly older, more advanced readers to pick up after reading more modern samples of science fiction. This book can almost be read as a period piece, a look at what we thought the future might be right at the beginning of our era of technology. The book was originally published in 1982.

References

Galda, L., Cullinan, B. E., & Sipe, L. R. (2010). Literature and the child (7th ed.). Belmont, CA:
Wadsworths, Inc.

Walsh, J. P., & Bloom, L. (1986). The green book. Orlando: Harcourt Brace. Retrieved January

31, 2018, from https://archive.org/details/greenbookgrade5l00hb.

Images from: https://archive.org/details/greenbookgrade5l00hb