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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, November 4, 2013

Picture Book Monday - A Review of How to Train a Train

I have a confession to make. I am very fond of my car. She has a name, Lucy, and I am proud of her because she protected me when a semi truck winged us, and she bravely brought us all the way across the country when we moved to the west coast. She never wavered even though there was a cat in her cargo area who howled for the entire journey. Lucy is a valued member of the family.

In today's picture book you will meet a boy who tells us what we need to know if we want to add a train to our family. A pet train. It may sound strange, but don't knock it until you have tried it.

How to Train a TrainHow to train a train
Jason Carter Eaton
Illustrated by John Rocco
Picture book
For ages 5 to 7
Candlewick Press, 2013, 978-0-7636-6307-0
If you go to a bookshop you will probably find dozens of books about how to train dogs. There may even be a few titles about how you might train a cat. What you won’t find is a book that will help you to train you pet train. Why would a person want a pet train? The answer is simple: because “Trains make awesome pets – they’re fun, playful, and extremely useful.”
   The good news is that anyone who wants to have a pet train can now get a little help thanks to this book. Everything that you need to know to “choose, track, and train” your new pet train can be found on these pages.
   The first thing you need to do is to decide what kind of train you want. Are you interested in a freight train, or perhaps a monorail train is more suitable. Once you have made your choice, you have to catch the train you want. You could try cornering it or trapping it using a big net. The train expert featured in this book has his own tried-and-true method that may seem complicated, but he swears by it.
   When you get your train home you have to give it a name. Any name will do. Then you have to do what you can to make your train feel at home. It is only natural that the train will be a little anxious at first. A hot bath can calm your train down. Some trains like to be read to, while others respond well to “soft locomotion sounds.”
   It is not easy to find helpful how-to books, but thankfully the author and the illustrator of this book know a great deal about trains and their ways. With their help just about anyone can become a successful pet train owner. The wonderful illustrations beautifully show readers the joys of train ownership, and anyone who reads this book carefully will find themselves wishing that they had a pet train of their own.
  

   

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