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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.

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Poetry Friday - A review of In Aunt Giraffe’s Green Garden

For today's poetry book I have a collection of wonderfully amusing poems that were written by Jack Prelutsky, the first American Children's Poet Laureate. If you need something to cheer you up, then this is the book for you.

In Aunt Giraffe's Green GardenIn Aunt Giraffe’s Green Garden
Jack Prelutsky
Illustrated by Petra Mathers
Poetry
For ages 4 to 8
HarperCollins, 2007, 978-0-06-623868-5
   Sometimes the world is not a very happy place. The news is full of glum stories, the weather won’t cooperate, chores refuse to go away, and mothers insist on sit-down dinners that require one to eat things one does not like. When all of these unhappy things begin to pile up, one of the things one can do is to find something amusing to read, and this book will serve that purpose very well indeed.
   For this book, America’s first Children’s Poet Laureate has created twenty-eight delightful poems that will put a smile on even the gloomiest of faces. He tells us about Aunt Giraffe who has flowers in her garden that are so tall that when she sniffs them “she scarcely stoops at all.” Then there is a girl who goes to Cheyenne “to ride a wild pony / to rope a wild calf.” Unfortunately, the girl has very little skill in the horse riding department, and soon she is bucked off the pony and sitting in the dirt. It doesn’t help that the pony has a good laugh at her expense.
   Further on the book, you will meet some dogs who have ordered their favorite foods at a restaurant. The poodles have “oodles of noodles,” and the Pekingese has “nothing by peas” to eat. As for the greyhound, well you will need to read to the poem to find out what this sneaky fellow does.
   Children and their grownups will greatly enjoy dipping into this book to read Jack Prelutsky’s amusing poems. Throughout the book, the poems are accompanied by Petra Mather’s charming illustrations.
   

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