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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.

Sunday, October 9, 2011

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

Let's face it. Most of us, not matter how old we are, don't like to admit that we have messed up. We don't like to talk about the mistakes or errors we have made. Some of us even try to cover up our screw ups. Not surprisingly children also have a reluctance to fess up when they have done something they shouldn't, or when they have lost or broken something.

Today's picture book addresses the whole 'it is better to fess up than to cover up' issue with humor and sensitivity.

David Melling
Picture Book
For ages 4 to 6
Tiger Tales, 2011, 978-1-58925-106-9
   Douglas the bear’s father has given him a wonderful red woolly hat. It has three white pompoms on it, and Douglas dashes outside, eager to show his friends his present. Happily Douglas does a series of cartwheels in front of his sheep friends. By the time Douglas has completed his cartwheels, something dreadful has happened to his hat. It has turned from a hat into “one long string of spaghetti.”
   Poor Douglas is terribly upset. What will his father say when he sees what Douglas has done to his brand new hat? Douglas’ friends all have ideas about what Douglas should do with his unraveled hat, but none of these ideas work for Douglas. It looks as if there is only one thing that Douglas can do.
   Fessing up when you have broken or lost something is never easy, especially if you are a young bear who doesn’t want to disappoint his dad. In this delightful Douglas title we see how Douglas deals with a very common problem. With laugh-out-loud funny illustrations throughout, this picture book is a must for young children.
   Readers who like this title are sure to enjoy David Melling’s first Douglas book, Hugless Douglas.

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