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.

Wednesday, January 25, 2017

Books of Hope - A Child's Garden: A Story of Hope

When life is hard, or when we are living in a place and/or a time that is full of challenges, it is so easy to despair and give up hope. At such times we forget to notice the little gifts that life is giving us, the little things that brighten our world and make it a happier place. A friend's hug, the smile of a child, a a gorgeous sunrise. These things all give us hope when we experience them.

Today's Book of Hope takes us to a grim place where hope is scarce. Until something miraculous happens.

A Child's Garden: A Story of HopeA Child's Garden: A Story of Hope
Michael Foreman
Picture Book
For ages 6 and up
Candlewick, 2009, 978-0763642716
One day, after a rain shower, a little boy who lives in a war ravaged world sees a little plant pushing its way through the soil. The little boy carefully tends the plant, and in time he recognizes that it is a grapevine. The vine grows up the barbed wire fence that prevents the little boy from going to the hills that he once visited with his father. The vine grows and prospers, and soon it provides the children in the war zone with a shady place to play.
   Then something terrible happens, soldiers from the other side of the fence pull up the vine and they throw it in a ditch. The little boy can't help feeling that his heart is going to break; but is doesn't break after all.
   In this powerful and very moving picture book, Michael Foreman celebrates the resilience and courage of the human spirit. He shows his readers how people, even in the most trying of times, can find something to live for. Against the stark grey landscape of ruined homes and lives, Michael Foreman gives us the warm glow of something green and living, and we can see how a simple plant can give people hope for a better future.

This title is out of print in the United States, but new and used copies are easy to find online. The book is still in print in the U.K.

No comments:

Bookmark and Share