Welcome!

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, October 14, 2013

Picture Book Monday - A Review of Read me a story, Stella

Soon after I launched Through the Looking Glass I started reading some books about a little girl called Stella and her little brother Sam. The books were written and illustrated by Marie-Louise Gay, and they are such a joy to read that I am delighted that there is a new Stella book out to enjoy.

Read Me a Story, Stella
Marie-Louise Gay
Picture Book
For ages 4 to 7
Groundwood Books, 2013, 978-1-55498-216-5
One day Stella is picking apples when her little brother Sam turns up. He is pulling a wagon full of branches and old boards, which, he says, he is going to use to build a doghouse for Fred the dog. Sam gets to work and he soon finds out that building a doghouse is not an easy thing to do. While he is struggling with his boards and sticks, Stella is lying in a hammock reading a book and laughing. Apparently the story she is reading is funny. Sam asks if the book contains doghouse building tips, and since it doesn’t, Stella helps her brother with his project.
   Later on the children go down to the pond. While Sam explores, Stella reads about “a big old toad wearing a velvet jacket.” When Sam finds a caterpillar, Stella finds him a picture of one in her insect book and tells him that caterpillars turn into butterflies.
   Next Sam teaches Fred how to fly a kite, and when Fred accidentally lets go of the kite string and the kite floats off, Stella reassures Sam that his kite will not “get burned by the sun” because kites “Know their way around the sky.”
   In this charming Stella adventure we share a perfect day with Stella, Sam, and Fred. The skies are blue, the sun is shining, and Stella always has something new and interesting to tell her little brother. She finds some of her information in her beloved books, and the rest comes from her own well of little girl wisdom.

   In this wonderful picture book the author shows to great effect that sometimes the best adventures are simple everyday ones.

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