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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 11, 2011

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

There is no doubt that many children love picture books that feature a bear as the main character. Some of these bears are big and mean, while others are gentle and friendly. Some behave very much like bears, while others behave like humans, living in houses and sleeping in beds.

In 2002, Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman brought us a delightful picture book about a bear who sleeps so soundly that nothing wakes him up until a fleck of pepper touches his nose. Bear Snores On was an instant hit, and all the subsequent Bear books have also been hugely popular. Here is a review of the latest Bear book.  

Karma Wilson
Illustrated by Jane Chapman
Picture Book
For ages 3 to 6
Simon and Shuster, 2011, 978-1-4169-5855-0
   Bear and his forest friends are eating their lunch when Bear feels that something strange is happening to one of his teeth. The tooth wiggles and wobbles and bear gets very upset. How will he eat if his tooth falls out?
   Thankfully, Bear’s friends know all about loose teeth. Hare takes a look at the tooth and Mouse reassures Bear that “A new tooth will grow / where the old used to be.” The best thing to do is to get the old tooth out so that new one can grow in.
   This sounds pretty straightforward, but when Bear’s friends try to remove the loose tooth, they cannot budge the thing. Who knew that having a loose tooth could cause so much trouble!
   Bear and his friends have delighted readers of all ages ever since the first title in the series, Bear Snores on, came out. Now Bear is back and he has a new problem, a problem that young children will surely appreciate. Having a loose tooth is annoying after all. At first you are afraid that losing it will mean you will have a hole in your mouth forever. Then you are afraid that the loose tooth will never fall out, and that you will be stuck with it.
   With Karma Wilson’s wonderful rhyming text and Jane Chapman’s expressive paintings, this is a picture book that young children will want to read again and again.

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