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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.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

The TTLG 2011 Picture Book Celebration: Book one hundred and ninety-three

Learning how to get along with others is one of those big lessons that we have to learn as we grow up, and it is complicated. There are confusing dynamics when there are three people in a friendship rather than two. If one person is more pushy, then everyone else gets steamrollered into doing things they don't want to.

In today's book Tad Hills uses his Duck and Goose characters to explore what a good friendship should be.

Duck, Duck, Goose
Tad Hills
Picture Book
For ages 4 to 6
Random House, 2007, 978-0-375-84068-5
   Goose is excited because he has a butterfly sitting on his head. He cannot wait for Duck to see him. When Duck arrives on the scene, he is not alone; he has another duck called Thistle with him and Thistle is, well…to be blunt, Thistle is a showoff. She appears to be good at everything that she does, and she turns everything she does into a contest or a challenge.
   It isn’t long before Goose has had enough. He does not want to race up a hill or stand on his head or walk across a log. He does not want to compete with Thistle all the time. In fact, sometimes he just wants to look for butterflies or listen to the river. Eventually, Goose goes off by himself because Duck and Thistle have no interest in doing any of the things that he likes to do. In short, three’s a crowd and Goose is the odd one out.
   Most of the time it is wonderful to make new friends. A new friend can introduce you to new activities, ideas, and perspectives. Bringing a new friend into the mix can also cause problems. In this book, Tad Hills takes a look at these problems and present them in a way that children will understand and appreciate.
    

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