Welcome!

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, September 9, 2011

The TTLG 2011 Picture Book Celebration: Book two hundred and fifty-two

When you are big and strong it is very easy to underestimate those who are smaller and weaker than you. You imagine that just because you are bigger and tougher than everyone else, that they cannot possibly have the advantage over you in any way.

In today's picture book you will a big mean bear you learns that it really doesn't pay to underestimate anyone. 

Sean Taylor
Illustrated by Hannah Shaw
Picture Book
For ages 5 to 7
Frances Lincoln, 2011, 978-1-84780-085-5
   The Grizzly Bear with the Frizzly Hair has nothing left to eat in the woods, and now he is hungry, bad-tempered, and “on the prowl.” When he come across a rabbit, the bear snatches up the little animal and starts to swallow it. Desperately, the rabbit tries to put the bear off, telling the hungry beast that his knees are too bony and that they will give the bear a “tummy ache.” He tells the bear that “Eating someone’s head is really not…polite.”
   Not surprisingly, the bear does not care what the rabbit has to say. He is hungry and he is going to eat the rabbit, bony knees and all. Then the rabbit tells the bear that there is something in the river that is much bigger than one little rabbit, something that will really satisfy his enormous appetite.
   Based on a folk tale that is many hundreds of years old, this is a story children will greatly enjoy. The tale is told using clever rhymes, and Hannah Shaw’s illustrations perfectly compliment the text.

No comments:

Bookmark and Share