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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 28, 2013

Picture Book Monday - A review of Oh No, Little Dragon!

I have a great fondness for dragons, which is why in part I chose to write Talon Diaries, a serialized story about a dragon. I am always on the lookout for new dragon books, and today's title is quite delightful. In it you will meet a little dragon who finds out that it is not wise to drink too much bath water.

Jim Averbeck
Picture Book
For ages 4 to 6
Simon and Schuster, 2012, 978-1-4169-9545-6
Little dragon is lucky because he has a “spark in his heart” that allows him to make fire. He loves being able to send fire swooshing out of his mouth into the air, and his mother happily tells her little son that she loves his flame.
   Of course, if you go around making fire, you have a tendency to become sooty. Little Dragon’s mother tells him to have a bath, and when he says that he hates baths, she tells him that he can play with his wooden boat in the tub.
   In the tub Little Dragon sends a fantastic flame across the water and sets the boat on fire. Then, he decides to be “Little Dragon Fire Department” and he does a cannonball to put out the fire he made. He laughs with delight and, not surprisingly, swallows some water, which puts out Little Dragon’s spark. He is sparkless and therefore flameless. Somehow he has to get his spark back!
   This delightful picture book will make children laugh out loud. Who can resist a little dragon who likes to set fire to things. Children will be especially amused when they see what the little dragon does to try to get his spark back.
   With wonderfully minimal but expressive illustrations and a funny story, Jim Averbeck gives readers a picture book that they will enjoy reading and looking at again and again.

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