Welcome!

Dear Book Lovers, Welcome! I am delighted that you have found The Through the Looking Glass blog. For over twenty years I reviewed children's literature titles for my online journal, which came out six times a year. Every book review written for that publication can be found on the Through the Looking Glass website (the link is below). I am now moving in a different direction, though the columns that I write are still book-centric. Instead of writing reviews, I'm offering you columns on topics that have been inspired by wonderful books that I have read. I tell you about the books in question, and describe how they have have impacted me. This may sound peculiar to some of you, but the books that I tend to choose are ones that resonate with me on some level. Therefore, when I read the last page and close the covers, I am not quite the same person that I was when first I started reading the book. The shift in my perspective might be miniscule, but it is still there. The books I am looking are both about adult and children's titles. Some of the children's titles will appeal to adults, while others will not. Some of the adult titles will appeal to younger readers, particularly those who are eager to expand their horizons.

Friday, January 21, 2011

Poetry Friday - A review of City I love by Lee Bennett Hopkins

If you love cities to live in or to visit, then I have the perfect book for you. In this very special collection of poems, Lee Bennett Hopkins explores several cities around the world using a variety of poetry forms to do so.
City I love
City I LoveLee Bennett Hopkins
Illustrated by Marcellus Hall
Poetry
For ages 4 to 8
Abrams, 2009, 978-0-8109-8327-4
   Some of us like the quiet of country life, with expanses of green trees and grass, and meadows full of flowers. We like to hear the sound of bird song, and the smell the fresh air.
   Then there are those people who thrive in a big city where the “subway roars and rumbles,” and where “A hydrant is my swimming pool.” They love to be in a place where tall skyscrapers are built by workers who “balance on beams / dangle on derricks.” Here the sounds of sirens, horns, and traffic fill the air. Here too you can travel on a subway that is full of people who come in every possible color, age, shape, and size. People are “always on the go.”
   For this unique picture book, Lee Bennett Hopkins has created eighteen poems about cities that take the reader around the world, beginning in New York and then going on to Paris, Moscow, Cairo, Rio, Delhi, and many other cities. In each city, a little dog wearing a backpack accompanies us, sharing in the joys (and sometimes the woes) of city life. With many different poetry forms, the author paints a picture of cities that throb with life, that excite, and that delight the eye.
   Marcellus Hall’s wonderful illustrations perfectly compliment the poems, capturing the energy of the cities that are described in the poems.

No comments:

Bookmark and Share