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.

Monday, October 17, 2011

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

When my daughter was in the fifth grade, she and her classmates had to raise a lot of money for their class field trip. Of course parents got involved, but the kids worked very hard and their labors paid off. For today's picture book I have a title by Eileen Spinelli featuring Miss Fox and her class. In this title, Miss Fox's students discover that raising money for a field trip can be quite challenging. 

Eileen Spinelli
Illustrated by Anne Kennedy
Picture book
For ages 5 to 7
Albert Whitman, 2010, 978-0-8075-5169-1
   The kids in Miss Fox’s class very much want to go to Roller Coaster Planet for their next field trip. Miss Fox explains that it is going to coast $135 for the trip, and that the students are going to have to earn the money themselves.
   When she hears about the field trip fund, Ms. Owl gives Miss Fox’s students a job. All they need to do to earn $20 is to clean Ms. Owl’s car so that it is spic and span when she has to drive the visiting author, Percy P. Possum, home.
   Cleaning the car presents no problems for the students, but when the job is finished, the children accidentally get Mr. Possum wet. Twice! After they have paid for Mr. Possum’s cleaning bill the children only have $5 in their field trip fund. How very discouraging.
   Then Young Bear suggests that the children should put on a play. With the help of family members, the children put on a splendid play and they raise $60. At the end of the performance Mr. Possum comes backstage to congratulate the cast. He slips on Raccoon’s costume and one of the lenses in his glasses breaks. That little slip ends up costing Miss Fox’s students $25 to repair Mr. Possum’s glasses. At this rate, the students are going to be all grown up before they have enough money to go on a field trip!
   In this delightful Miss Fox title, Eileen Spinelli gives her readers a meaningful story about the trials and tribulations of fundraising. It takes tenacity and determination to raise money for a good cause, and sometimes it is not at all easy. With a sprinkling of math and loveable characters, this is a story that children are sure to appreciate. 

No comments:

Bookmark and Share