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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, March 13, 2011

The TTLG 2011 Picture Book Celebration - Book Seventy-Two

When my daughter was little, I must have read this book to her at least a thousand times. It is such a unique and funny story, and the main character is so appealing, that I am not at all surprised that she was so fond of it.

The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and The Big Hungry BearThe little mouse, the ripe strawberry, and the big hungry bear
Don and Audrey Wood
Illustrated by Don Wood
Picture Book
For infants to age 4
Child’s Play, 1984, 978-0859531825
   Little Mouse is very busy. He has a ladder and he is going into the garden. What is he up to? “Oh I see,” Mouse is going to pick a big ripe strawberry. What a wonderful treat that is going to be.
   But, this is a problem. Out there, somewhere, there is a big hungry bear who loves freshly picked ripe strawberries. In not time at all, he will “tromp through the forest on his big, hairy feet” and he will find that strawberry.  Mouse can hide the strawberry, lock it up, and disguise it, but the bear will know it is there. What should Mouse do?
   Children will love this deliciously funny story. The authors present their tale in a unique way, with an unseen narrator having a conversation with the mouse (though the mouse does not actually say anything). We think that the narrator is trying to be helpful, until we get to the end of the story, when we are able to see that the narrator has an ulterior motive. Bears are not the only ones who like ripe strawberries!

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