The new issue of Through the Looking Glass Book Reviews is now online

The March and April 2011 issue of Through the Looking Glass Children’s Book Reviews is now online. I have put together a wonderful collection of reviews for you for this issue, and I hope you enjoy reading the reviews as much as I have enjoyed writing them.

Here in Oregon, spring is making itself felt already, and for many people March and April are the months when they start getting busy in the garden. For this issue's special feature, I look at books about gardens and gardening for readers of all ages. Spending time in the garden gives children and young people a wonderful opportunity to connect with nature, watch things grow, and - of course - get dirty!

In March,  schools and libraries all over the United States observe  Women's History Month. This event celebrates the achievements of women over the years, and I have quite a large collection of books in the TTLG Women's History Month feature. In this feature readers will finds fiction and non-fiction titles that look at the lives and achievements of many great women from around the world.

April is the month when many Americans celebrate Earth Day and Arbor Day. For Earth Day you can look at the Earth Day feature and the Saving the Environment feature. For Arbor Day  I have put together a delightful collection of books that are about trees. Some of the books in these features are informative nonfiction titles, while others are stories that will amuse, touch, and delight readers of all ages.

For this month's Editor's Choice title, I have selected a fascinating novelty title called Will Shakespeare: His life and times. This book will give readers an in-depth picture of William Shakespeare's achievements and, as they look through the book, readers will get a sense of what it would have been like to live in England during Shakespeare's lifetime. 

Finally, take a look at the new Bookish Calendar. Here you will find reviews about Michelangelo, St. Patrick's Day, Harry Houdini, the Titanic, and much more. This calendar is a great tool to use at home and in the classroom to help children incorporate books more fully into their lives.

-:Bookish Events for March and April:-

• March is Women's History Month (USA)
• March 2nd is Read Across America Day (USA)
• National March into Literacy Month (USA)
• April is National Poetry Month (USA)
• April 2nd is International Children's Book Day
• National Library Week April 10th - 16th (USA)
• Young People's Poetry Week April 12th - 18th (USA)
• National Week of the Ocean April 3rd - 9th (USA)

I hope you find a way to celebrate some, if not all,  of these bookish events. If I have missed an important bookish event, please drop me a line to tell me about it.

At the beginning of last year, I launched the new website, and all the new content for every issue is on this new website. However, a large part of the old content is still on the old site. You can still get to this content, but it is not integrated into the new site. Moving the 4,000 reviews over is going to take some time, and I appreciate your patience while I work on this. 

Some of the titles I reviewed several years ago are now out of print. Though you cannot buy these books in every bookshop, many of them are still available for purchase on websites like Amazon.com.

I hope you enjoy this new issue, and I look forward to hearing from you.