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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.

Friday, July 22, 2011

The TTLG 2011 Picture Book Celebration: Book two hundred and three

When I was eight or so I started to take horse riding lessons and I loved them. Then one of the horses decided to roll on his back when I was riding on him and I nearly got squished. Though I got back on his back after this event, I lost my nerve and stopped riding for a while. 

Getting your nerve back after an unnerving experience is never easy, no matter how old you are. In today's picture book you will meet a famous spider who almost gives up something she loves to do because gets frightened. 

Troy Cummings
Picture Book
For ages 4 to 6
Random House, 2010, 978-0-375-86582-4
   The Eensy Weensy spider has been washed out of the waterspout and she is not happy. Actually, that is an understatement. She was “freaked out” by her experience and she is not going to climb anything again.
   Eensy’s story is soon all over the Internet, and feeling embarrassed by all the fuss, she stays “holed up in her garden apartment” for a few days. Then her friend Polly, who is a ladybug, comes and visits her. Polly refuses to accept that Eensy’s climbing days are over, and she encourages her friend to “start with something small and work your way up.”
   Eensy carefully climbs a potted plant, and though it wasn’t easy, she is pleased when she finds herself at the top. As she admires the view, Polly congratulates Eensy and suggests that she should climb a fire plug next. At first Eensy is appalled at the idea, but then she gives it a try. Could this be a new beginning for Eensy?
   Most children know the rhyme about the Eensy Weensy spider who has the misfortune to be washed out of a waterspout. Now they can find out how this dreadful sounding event affected the spider and how she had to work very hard to regain her courage and her love of climbing.
   With a loveable main character and a meaningful message that is beautifully and amusingly presented, this is a picture book that children and their grownups are sure to enjoy.

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