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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, May 13, 2013

Picture Book Monday - A review of It’s Monday, Mrs. Jolly Bones!

I am an annoyingly organized person. Or so I am told. I do certain chores on certain days, like my mother does, and my grandmother did. There is something comforting about having a wash-the-linens day, and a do-the-food-shopping day. In today's picture book you will meet a lady who does a different task on each week day, but there is something unique about the way she does her chores, something delightfully odd.

Warren Hanson
Illustrated by Tricia Tusa
Picture Book
For ages 4 to 6
Simon and Schuster, 2013, 978-1-4424-1229-3
Mrs. Jolly Bones has a full week ahead of her. Being an organized soul, she assigns a certain task to every week day. On Monday she does the laundry, on Tuesday she gardens, on Wednesday she cleans the house, on Thursday she does the grocery shopping, and on Friday she bakes.
   These chores sound pretty straight forward. They are the kinds of chores that men and women all over the world do every day, right? Yes they are, but it is unlikely that many people do their chores in quite the same manner as Mrs. Jolly Bones.
   For example, on Monday, when Mrs. Jolly Bones does the laundry, she gathers and sorts the laundry, she washes the clothes and dries them. Then she irons and folds everything. So far her laundry day has been very normal. What is rather unusual is that Mrs. Jolly Bones then takes all those clean fresh-smelling clothes and tosses them out of the window so that they will “brighten up the street.”
   If you think this is odd, wait until you see what she does after she cleans the house, or what she does with the groceries she buys on Thursday.
   Children love books that contain surprises, and this particular book is full of them. The story has a normal beginning and then it becomes clear that Mrs. Jolly Bones has her own way of doing things, ways that will keep readers guessing all the way through the book.
   Children are going not only going to enjoy hearing about Mrs. Jolly Bones and her strange behavior, but they are also going to love exploring Trish Tusa’s cunning and amusing artwork.

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