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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.

Sunday, December 25, 2011

The TTLG 2011 Picture Book Celebration: Book three hundred and fifty-nine

Merry Christmas everyone! For many of us, decorating the family Christmas tree is one of our favorite seasonal traditions. I have had a Christmas tree every year of my life, even during the years when my family and I were living in a war zone and when we were refugees from that war. One year we even had a eucalyptus branch to decorate because there was nothing else!

In today's picture book you will read about a man who risked everything to bring Christmas trees to the children of Chicago.

The Christmas Tree ShipThe Christmas Tree Ship
Carol Crane
Illustrated by Chris Ellison
Picture Book
For ages 6 to 9
Sleeping Bear Press, 2011, 978-1-58536-285-1
   Tim and his brother live with their Grandpa Axel and Grandma Hannah in a Lake Michigan lighthouse. Grandpa knows the lakes moods very well, and one stormy night just before Christmas he gathers the children together in front of the fire to tell them a story.
   One of Grandpa’s favourite stories is the true story of Captain Santa and his ship, Rouse Simmons. Every year Captain Santa transported Christmas trees from northern Michigan to Chicago, so that the city children could have beautiful trees to decorate for Christmas. One year the Captain decided that this would be his last trip. He was getting old and it was time to take it easy. On that last journey, the Rouse Simmons sailed into a terrible storm, and though the captain did everything he could, he and his crew were lost when the Rouse Simmons sank.
   After the storm was over, Grandpa found driftwood and Christmas trees from the Rouse Simmons on the beach near where he lived. At this point in his story, Grandpa shows the children a copper tag that he found on the beach all those years ago. It was one of the straps that they used to tie the Christmas trees together, and it came from the Rouse Simmons.
   Now that Captain Santa was gone, everyone thought that Chicago would have to do without the wonderful Christmas trees from Michigan, but the very next year something amazing happened.
   This tale is based on the true story of Captain Schuenemann and his ship, the Rouse Simmons. The author’s grandfather, Axel Anderson, told her the story of the ship that brought Christmas trees to Chicago, and how he really did find trees bound with copper tags on the beach.
   Beautifully told and illustrated, this is a very special book that will take young readers on a journey into the past. 
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