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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.

Monday, January 30, 2012

Picture book Monday - A review of Mama Robot

Sometimes grownups are such provoking creatures. They insist that children do things that children do not want to do, and they refuse to let children do the kinds of things that are fun to do.Today's picture book perfectly captures one boy's frustration with his mother, and readers will enjoy seeing how the little boy sets about fixing the problem. Of course, there is one very important thing that he forgets to consider. 

Davide Cali
Illustrated by AnnaLaura Cantone
Translated by Marcel Danesi
Picture Book
For ages 5 to 7
Tundra, 2008, 978-0-88776-873-6
   Every day when he comes home from school, a little boy finds a note from his mother sitting on the kitchen table next his dinner. In the note, she tells her son that she is working and that he should brush his teeth after he eats, do his homework, and tidy his room.
   One day, after eating his solitary dinner, brushing his teeth, doing his homework, and tidying up his room, the little boy decides that something has to be done to change his “boring” existence. So, he sets about building a Mama Robot who will “never be at her desk” and who will “spend all her time with me.”
   Mama Robot will protect him from all the things that he is afraid of, and she will only make him the kinds of food that he likes to eat - pizza, chicken nuggets, and spaghetti for example. She will do his homework and, generally speaking, will do exactly what he wants her to do. Then the little boy encounters a problem. Though a Mama Robot would be a wonderful thing to have, there is one vital thing that it would not be able to do.
   Every child who has been frustrated with his or her parents will appreciate this clever and amusing picture book. Unique collage-style multimedia illustrations perfectly capture the quirkiness of the story. 

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