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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, February 15, 2016

Picture Book Monday with a review of Peddles


I have the privilege of knowing a  lot of people who have jumped into the unknown to pursue their dreams. It is wonderful to see their ideas come to life as they open up shops and businesses that are an extension of themselves. It takes courage to go after a dream, to dare to do something that perhaps other people tell you cannot be done. In today's picture book you will meet just such a dreamer. Peddles the pig wants more out of life, and he dreams of doing things that 'normal' pigs never even consider doing.

Peddles
Peddles
Elizabeth Rose Stanton
Picture Book
For ages 4 to 6
Simon and Schuster, 2016, 978-1-4814-1691-7
Peddles is a pig who lives on a farm with lots of other pigs, all of whom do the kinds of things you would expect farm pigs to do. They eat from a trough, oink and root, sleep and well…you get the idea. Peddles is not like the other pigs. Though he ponders the same things that his pig friends think about, he thinks about them “differently.” He thinks about pizza instead of slop, and bathtubs instead of a mud puddle. He has ideas about what it would be like if he could fly like a bird or jump like a frog. Peddles even dares to imagine what it would be like if he could go out into space.
   The other pigs think that Peddles’ dreams and ideas are ridiculous, and they advise him to “Get your head out of the clouds.” The thing is that Peddles cannot change who he is, and so he goes on having ideas and dreams, though none of them come to anything, which is rather disheartening.
   Then, one night, Peddles sees a gathering of people in the barn and they are dancing, stomping their cowboy boots, and “twirling and whirling.” Peddles has an idea. A marvelous idea, and maybe this time it will be an idea that turns into something wonderful.
   In this charming picture book, children will meet a superlative pig, a pig who has big aspirations. Unfortunately, he lives in a world where pigs are not supposed to want more out of their lives. They are supposed to be content with being ordinary pigs.
   Children are going to love seeing how Peddles pursues a dream, and how his determination and hope affects the pigs around him and thus brings about a very real change.

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