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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.

Saturday, July 23, 2011

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

Learning new words can be a lot of fun for young children, especially if their grownups turn the adventure into a game that is enjoyable. In this clever picture book, children will meet a parrot who loves to collect words and turn them into songs. Perhaps his story will inspire young readers to create their own word songs.

Pepi Sings a New SongPepi Sings a New Song
Laura Ljungkvist
Picture Book
For ages 4 to 6
Simon and Schuster, 2010, 978-1-4169-9138-0
   Pepi the parrot lives with Peter, who loves to explore space through his telescope. Every night Pepi sings Peter a song that is full of words that have something to do with space. He sings about “Satellite, planet, galaxy, Mars” and “Comet Venus, telescope.”
   One day Pepi comes to the conclusion that Peter is a little bored with the space centric song he is singing, so the white parrot decides to go off to “find some new things to sing about.”
   First he visits Manuel’s Bakery where he collects a tasty selection of words like “cupcakes” and “cookie cutter.” In Clive’s music studio he finds words like “flute” and “violin.” “Masterpiece” and “clay” float around Aurora’s art studio, his next stop. After visiting Malcolm’s market and Cynthia’s dog park, Pepi heads home, his head bursting with words. Is he going to be able to make up a song that Peter will like?
   In this delightful and very unique picture book Laura Ljunkvist pairs a simple text with her digitally rendered art to give young children a wonderful word filled adventure that has a perfect ending. 
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