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.

Friday, December 30, 2011

The TTLG 2011 Picture Book Celebration: Book three hundred and sixty-four

Many people spend years and years trying to find the right someone who will be their best friend and their partner. Sometimes the search is a painful one, and sometimes it seems as if that somebody to love will never turn up.

In today's picture book you will meet a little doll who is trying to find her somebody. The story has a message of hope that will appeal to readers of all ages.

The Somebody for MeThe Somebody for me
Minako Chiba
Translated by Hana Christen
Picture book
For ages 5 to 7
NorthSouth, 2010, 978-0-7358-2323-5
   Miss Mika is a happy doll maker, and as she sews her dolls, she hopes that all of her creations will be happy too. When one of her dolls, Sumiko, asks Miss Mika what “happy” is, Miss Mika explains that happiness is a feeling that you get “when somebody loves you.”
   Sumiko and the other dolls are arranged in the shop window, and one by one they are sold until the only one left is Sumiko. New toys come into the shop and they go off with happy children. Poor Sumiko is ignored, and she cannot wondering, “Where is the somebody for me?”
   Then, after a long wait, a little girl comes into the shop who wants Sumiko, but her father says that Sumiko is “old and dirty,” and he leads his daughter away to find something “new and clean.” Sumiko begins to think that she will never have a somebody of her own.
   We all have moments when we feel very alone, and when we wish that we had a somebody to love who will love us back. In this sweet and touching picture book, Minako Chiba beautifully shows how important it is not to give up hope. Someone will  come along who will be that right somebody.

No comments:

Bookmark and Share