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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.

Friday, December 2, 2011

Poetry Friday - A review of A dazzling Display of Dogs

Until recently I had never encountered concrete or shape poems. No, these are not poems carved in cement. Instead they are "poems in which the typographical arrangement of words is as important in conveying the intended effect as the conventional elements of the poem, such as meaning of words, rhythm, rhyme and so on. It is sometimes referred to as visual poetry, a term that has evolved to have distinct meaning of its own, but which shares the distinction of being poetry in which the visual elements are as important as the text." 

What on earth does this all mean you are thinking. Well, concrete poems are poems where the words are placed on the page to create an image or picture. Thus, a poem about a tree might be arranged to have a tree shape, or a poem about a snake may have a snake shape. 

Today's poetry title is full of poems about dogs, and readers will not only enjoy the sounds and meanings of the words, but they will also enjoy the ways in which those words appear on the page. 

Betsy Franco
Illustrations by Michael Wertz
Poetry
For ages 8 to 12
Tricycle Press, 2011, 978-1-58246-343-8
   Dogs provide love and companionship to millions of people around the world. They greet us when we come home, and somehow they know just what to do to cheer us up when we are feeling blue. In this unique book, Betsy Franco’s poems are paired with Michael Wertz’s artwork in such a way that the words and the art become one, and they give dog lovers of all ages a delightful canine-centric treat.
   As they turn the pages, readers will meet Baloo, a pompom-ish poodle who manages to get out of his yard and who gets into Ms. Johnstons’ house, were he eats all kinds of things, including a teddy bear, a cupcake, a steak, a taco, and some popcorn.
  Further on in the book, we get to meet Willy, a beagle who lives behind a fence that has a “Beware of Dog” sign on it. The funny thing is that Willy “rarely ever growls.” Instead, the “harmless beagle only yooooowls!”
   Jake is quite different because he barks at everyone. He may be small, but this jack russell terrier “hasn’t been frightened by any dog yet.” Fearlessly he barks at friend and foe alike because he is a “barking machine.”
   Then there is Gwen the bassett hound. Gwen is always going in and out the door, and her person faithfully opens and closes the door for her “again and again and again.”
   This book will charm people who have dogs in their lives. Many of the doggy traits mentioned in the book will be familiar, and readers will be reminded of all the charming, infuriating, and funny things that dogs do that make our lives richer.

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