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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, January 13, 2012

Poetry Friday - A review of Snow, Snow: Winter poems for children

One of the things that I look forward to in winter is snow. I love watching snow drift down, I like playing in the snow, and I enjoy sledding, snowshoeing and skiing. Usually by January the mountains around my town have enough snow on them that we can go skiing, but so far this winter it has been very dry and too warm. People of all ages are grumbling about our snow-less state.

Thankfully people like Jane Yolen know just how to take her readers into another world, which in today's poetry book is a snowy one. I might not be able to go skiing or sledding, but thanks to this book I can imagine that I am looking at a beautiful snow-dusted landscape.

Snow, Snow: Winter Poems for ChildrenSnow, Snow: Winter poems for children
Jane Yolen
Photographs by Jason Stemple
Poetry Picture Book
For ages 7 to 10
Boyds Mills Press, 1998, 1-59078-346-8
   For many people snow is a “cold and wet and sometimes inconvenient” problem to deal with during the months of winter. For others, snow is something that turns the outdoors into a magical playground. It is something that transforms the landscape into a beautiful glittery world that is full of promise.
   For this special collection of poems, Jane Yolen has created thirteen poems that are perfectly paired with Jason Stemple’s gorgeous photographs to give readers, young and old, a picture (in words and images) of snowy woods, skiers going down a mountainside, a snowmobile flying through the air, and more.
   We find out “what is cold and plump / And billows,” and we see how snowy trees look as if someone has painted them in the night so that they are now “As white as wool” wearing “A diamond crown.”
   With language rich with beautiful imagery, and with touches with humor here and there, this collection is just the thing to share with someone on a chilly winter day. 

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