Bridge to Terabithia
- Nora Sifuentes
- Jun 29, 2021
- 2 min read
Paterson, K., DiCamillo, K., Diamond, D., HarperCollins Publishers, & Thomas Y. Crowell Company.
(1977). Bridge to Terabithia. HarperCollins.
Bridge to Terabithia entails the story of two troubled fifth-graders: Leslie Burke and Jess Aarons who develop a strong friendship. Leslie’s personality and form of dressing is far from the “norm” of a girl her age, which those around her (especially her classmates) highly disapprove of. In addition, her working parents barely have time for her and are unaware she is being bullied. Jess’s troubles root at home, as his father is against his passion for drawing and he is not considered “manly” enough. They meet at Jess's school, where Leslie is the new girl, and she wins an important race, beating all the boys. They began to develop their friendship. Deep in the woods, they find a place and name it Terabithia, of which they declare themselves king and queen. They find comfort in their friendship until one unfortunate accident took Leslie’s life, as she went to Terabithia alone and drowned in the way. Jess is devastated, but as time passes he finds strength in his friend's memory.
The illustrations in this book allow the audience to visualize the physical attributes of the characters, as well as their mannerisms and interactions with other characters. Paterson captivated a strong topic through a narrative that displays the impact of society’s gender roles and the pressure it can have on an individual even in the early stages of life. Through vivid writing, we witness how the protagonists evolve and learn the true meaning of friendship. This fictional story exposes the themes of friendship, self-acceptance, individualism, and gender roles. This book is an excellent resource that can be used to encourage children to be proud of who they are and accept others even if they don’t follow the status quo.
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