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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.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

The TTLG 2011 Picture Book Celebration - Book Twenty-Three

When I was a child, I was very much like the little boy in today's picture book. Just like silly Billy I was a chronic worrier, and I spent many hours lying in bed worrying about all kinds of things. Children who are like Billy and I, will find this book very comforting indeed.
Silly Billy

Anthony Browne
Picture Book
Ages 4 to 6
Candlewick Press, 2006, 0-7636-3124-8
   Billy is a little boy who is a chronic worrier. As he lies in bed he worries about hats, shoes, clouds, rain, and giant birds. He imagines that a huge bird might carry him out of his bedroom window, or that a rainstorm could flood his bedroom. His fertile imagination imagines all kinds of calamities. Not even the reassuring words of his loving parents helps.
   One night Billy spends the night at his grandma’s house, and he lies in bed worrying. He cannot help worrying “about staying at other people’s houses,” even though he knows that his worries are “silly.” Unable to sleep at all, Billy goes to tell his grandma about his problem, and he finds out that she has a solution for his predicament. The most amazing thing of it all is that her solution works, at least for a while.
   In this special picture book, we meet a little boy who really needs some help. Thankfully, someone who loves him knows just what to do. Children will be thrilled to hear that something can be done to alleviate those last-thing-at-night worries, and they will be interested to learn that Grandma’s solution is one that people all over the world really use. 

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