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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.

Monday, August 1, 2011

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

Today I have a book for you that is quite unique. You will meet a cat who wants to dine on a mouse, and a mouse who does not want to become someone's dinner. Readers of all ages will be able to appreciate the situation the cat and the mouse find themselves in, and they will be able to laugh at the clever way in which the problem is resolved.

Frank Asch
Illustrations by Devin Asch
Picture Book
Ages 6 and up
Kids Can Press, 2004, 1-55337-486-X
   Mr. Maxwell is feeling in a celebratory mood. He has just been promoted, and when he arrives at his usual restaurant for lunch he decides to treat himself to a delicacy that he has not had in a long time – raw mouse. Mr. Maxwell soon finds himself face to face with his lunch, a very polite and very verbose mouse who has impeccable manners and who seems to know a great deal about the finer things in life.
   Mr. Maxwell is at first irritated by this mouse who keeps interrupting his meal. If only the creature would just be quiet and allow Mr. Maxwell to eat it. Instead the mouse has to say a prayer, he congratulates Mr. Maxwell on his promotion, and he even advises him as to what kind of wine he should have to drink.
   It isn’t before Mr. Maxwell finds himself quite unable to cut into this highly talented mouse. The two have become far too well acquainted to make the dining part of the arrangement easy
   This wonderful tongue in cheek tale has us rooting for the mouse with all our hearts and souls. Surely the clever little creature is not going to get eaten after all that he has been through. Dark and subdued computer created artwork beautifully captures the mood in the author’s cat-eat-mouse world.

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