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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, October 4, 2011

The TTLG 2011 Picture Book Celebration: Book two hundred and seventy-seven

When I was a child I loved going to the library. For me it was a magical place that was full of stories and new possibilities. I have been lucky because I have always had access to libraries, and my daughter has had the same privilege. Both of us have always had many books of our own as well that we can pull of the shelf whenever we please. I cannot imagine what it would be like to be a child who does not have books to read.

Today's picture book is about just such a child who lives in a remote village and who owns only one book. 

Monica Brown
Illustrated by John Parra
Picture Book
For ages 5 to 7
Tricycle Press, 2011, 978-1-58246-353-7
   Ana is a little girl who loves to read. Every day, after she has done her chores, Ana sits down with the one book she owns and she reads it. Ana’s teacher gave Ana the book for being an excellent student, but now the teacher has moved away and Ana and the other children in her village no longer have a school. They also no longer have access to new books.
   One day Ana hears the sound of a donkey brayin,g and when she goes outside to find out where the noise is coming from she sees a man and two burros coming up the road. The man is carrying a sign that reads Biblioburro, and his two burros are carrying books. The man explains that he is a librarian, and his two burros, Alfa and Beto, are carrying his library.
   After the librarian reads the children some books, he invites them to choose a few books to borrow. In a few weeks he will return to the village so that children can exchange their borrowed books for new ones.
   Ana is thrilled to have new books to read, and she shares the new stories with her little brother. Several weeks go by and Ana waits and waits for the return of the Biblioburro. She begins to worry that the librarian and his moving library will never come back to the village.
   This memorable book is a fitting tribute to the men and women around the world who have found creative ways to get books into the hands of children. Based on the true story of a man who delivers books to Columbian village children using two burros, this story perfectly captures the passion that many children have for books and stories. It shows readers how books fire up a child’s imagination, and how they inspire children to be creative in their own way.

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