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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.

Friday, September 23, 2011

Poetry Friday - A review of the Cuckoo's Haiku

Many people get a lot of pleasure from watching birds. They set up feeders in their gardens or in front of a window, and some people keep a list of all the bird species that they have seen. In today's poetry title, Michael Rosen brings together his love of poetry and his enthusiasm for bird-watching to give readers a delightful reading experience. This is the kind of book that children and adults alike will enjoy.

Michael J. Rosen
Illustrated by Stan Fellows
Poetry Picture Book
For ages 7 and up
Candlewick Press, 2009, 978-0-7636-3049-2
For many of us poems are synonymous with rhymes. We are familiar with poems that have a bouncing rhythm, stanzas, and rhyming words. The thing is that poetry comes in a wide variety of forms. Some don’t rhyme at all, and some, like haikus, are only three lines long.
   For this book, Michael Rosen has written a collection of beautiful and evocative haikus that look at twenty-four commonly seen American birds. He has organized the haikus by season, showing us the species that we are most likely to see at that time of year.
   In spring there is the eastern bluebird, a pretty little bird that sings “spring’s first song” while it sits on “a staff of wires.” Then there are Northern Cardinals, bright red birds that are the “first feeders at dawn” and the “last feeders at dusk.”
   In the summer you are likely to hear the northern mockingbird, that “one man bird band” that can create so many sounds. This is also the time when common grackles can be seen taking sips of water from potholes in the road.
   For each poem Stan Fellows has created a double page spread pencil and watercolor illustration. There are notes about the bird species on the pages as well. These short notes are expanded on at the back of the book where readers will find “Notes for Birdwatchers and Haiku Lovers.”
   This book would make a splendid gift for readers who likes poetry, and for bird lovers of all ages.

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