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, May 13, 2009

The Crocodadddy Book Tour - Day Two

Good morning everyone. Today I am going to be interviewing Kim Norman, the author of a picture book called Crocodaddy.

Marya: Where did the idea for the Crocodaddy game come from?
Kim: It was a pretend game we played in our little backyard pool when our younger son was a preschooler. Of course, I was more of a bystander watching the fun between my husband, (the REAL Crocodaddy), and my sons. Just last night, my husband was recalling how they used to climb on his back and he'd toss them off with a splash, just like the father and son in the book.

Marya: Why did you decide to share the joy of the this game with your readers?
Kim: Well, I thought the word "Crocodaddy" was such a fun word, there must be a book in it. It took me several years of ruminating during my morning walks for the story to evolve. I'd already written one version that my critique group thought was a bit too intense for toddlers, (they thought it might be too scary), when -- one morning during a walk -- the rhythm of the refrain came into my head. "Crocodaddy, Crocodaddy, whatcha gonna do?" I could hardly wait to get home and start writing a new version with that bouncy refrain added to it.

Marya: You are an artist as well as a writer. Do you think you might, one day, illustrate some of the picture books that you have written?
Kim: I would love to do that someday. My favorite medium is collage. Besides writing books, I'm a freelance graphic artist, but that doesn't really involve drawing skills -- not since the advent of electronic clipart! My drawing skills have withered, I'm afraid, since computers started doing so much of the work for me! But years ago, I used to create collages which I'd display in art shows. When time allows, maybe after my younger son is off to college, I'd like to pull out my art supplies and see if I can't awaken my inner illustrator!
Marya: How did you start writing children’s books?
Kim: It has been nearly 20 years since I began writing, trying my hand at this and that genre. I think most writers do that, drifting from project to project, until they find the type of writing best suited for them. (Unless they're very prolific and eclectic, and can write all SORTS of books.) But I suddenly felt very at home once I started writing children's books. I can always count back to the time I finished writing my first picture book, because I know I sat down to write it after putting my younger son, then an infant, back into his crib following a predawn feeding. He's 15 now. I had a LOT to learn, (still do) about writing children's books, but that first story has been revised innumerable times, so I think it's pretty solid now. I've written and sold other books, but that first story is now with my agent, and she thinks it's ready to start sending out again.

Marya:What aspect of the book writing process do you like the most?
Kim: Definitely the earliest part, the brainstorming and initial rush of getting a story down. If that story happens to be written in rhyme, all the better. Not all my books are in rhyme, but I've found that rhyme is the one form of writing that pulls me obsessively back to the work. Other types of writing, I tend to procrastinate, like a kid ignoring her homework. Very bad habit! I also like the final polishing stages of picture book writing, where you're honing each word, which often includes cutting words. It's kind of fun, seeing how bare bones I can make it while still retaining the flavor of the story. Picture books SHOULD feel a bit bare, when you're reading just the manuscript. If it feels too complete, it probably means you've forgotten to leave room for the illustrator to tell some of the story.

Thank you Kim for a great interview.

Monday, May 11, 2009

Children's Book Week May 11-17


Goodness! I almost forgot to remind you that it is Children's Book Week. Join Olivia and your favorite children's book characters in this week-long celebration of children's literature. Some places to visit on the web for ideas and printables are:
I hope you enjoy this week, and that you share lots of splendid books with the children in your lives.

Saturday, May 9, 2009

The Crocodaddy Blog Book Tour - Day One

For many of us summer is just around the corner. It will soon be time for picnics, trips to the beach, and swimming parties. In Crocodaddy Kim Norman
captures the essence of a summer day, and she also celebrates the warm relationship between a father and his little son. Here is my review of the book.

Crocodaddy
Kim Norman
Illustrated by David Walker
Picture Book
Ages 4 to 6
Sterling, 2009, 1402744609
It is a warm summer day and a little boy and his daddy go down to the pond for a swim. At the pond there is a mossy rock, little minnows, and other wonders; and it is the place where “the Crocodaddy lurks!”
With great courage, strength, and cunning, the little boy sets about hunting the great Crocodaddy. He jumps onto the Crocodaddy’s back, determined to “tame” the wily beast. It is not an easy task, for the Crocodaddy has many tricks up his sleeve. Who will win this epic battle?
To capture a special summertime adventure shared by a father and son, Kim Norman uses engaging rhymes that have a bouncy and infectious cadence. Some children might guess what the Crocodaddy is, but the suspense is tangible nevertheless. Paired with David Walker’s expressive artwork, this picture book is a joy to read and to look at.

Please visit the other sites that are participating in this tour:

A Christian Worldview of Fiction, A Mom Speaks, A Patchwork of Books, All About Children’s Books, Becky’s Book Reviews, Booking Mama,Cafe of Dreams, Dolce Bellezza, Elizabeth O. Dulemba, Fireside Musings, KidzBookBuzz.com, Looking Glass Reviews, Maw Books Blog, Never Jam Today, Olive Tree, Our Big Earth, Reading is My Superpower, SMS Book Reviews, The 160 Acrewoods, Through a Child’s Eyes

Thursday, May 7, 2009

An interview with Ellen Potter, creator of the Olivia Kidney books

A few months ago I read the first Olivia Kidney book, and I really enjoyed the experience. The book is very different, full of quirky characters, bizarre encounters, and strange adventures. Olivia herself is a tough little person who has an uncommon gift, and who has been dealt some very unfortunate cards in her short life. Wanting to better understand where Olivia Kidney came from, I decided to interview Olivia's creator, Ellen Potter.

Marya: The characters in “Olivia Kidney” are almost all very strange indeed. What prompted you to make them this way?
Ellen: You want to know the funny thing? Nearly every character in Olivia Kidney is very loosely based on a people I knew as a kid, growing up in an apartment building in NYC. There really was a woman who had a “farm” in her apartment, with chicken and rabbits (it was the adoption of a rooster that was her undoing). There was a family with eleven children, all of them fabulously freckled. The frightening Sidi was based on my friend’s tall and intimidating mother who kept her apartment roasting hot for her beloved plants. And as for the vicious but tiny pirate Master Clive, there was a little man who lived in the building—no taller than the average nine-year-old—who was always so dapperly dressed and adorable that as a child I imagined he must be deeply sinister. I’m still not convinced that he wasn’t.

Marya: Though she does not fully understand it, Olivia is grieving the death of her brother. Why did you add this component to what is a mostly funny book? El;len: It wasn’t a conscious decision. I almost never know what’s going to happen to my characters when I first start a book. Instead, I begin with a character that interests me—in Olivia’s case I admired her dry sense of humor and her aura of self-possession—and then I “stalk” them to find out what they are made of. It’s a fairly terrifying way to write since I never know what’s going to happen next.
In the first chapter of Olivia Kidney, Olivia’s book on séances literally fell out of her knapsack. It sounds disingenuous to say that I had nothing to do with it, but honestly, the thing just appeared and I was surprised to see it. “Oh, that’s interesting,” I said to myself, “Olivia must have a dead person she wants to contact. Now who could that be?” At first I thought it might be her mother. In fact, I began to steer the story in that direction, but Olivia let me know I was wrong via a bad case of writer’s block. Once I let go of my stranglehold on the story, I realized it was her much-loved older brother who had died. And yes, apart from this tragedy the story is pretty humorous, but as my grandmother liked to say, “If you laugh in the morning, you’re going to cry at night.”

Marya: Olivia encounters a ghost is very matter of fact – and not at all spooky – way. Why did you choose to make the ghost so normal?
Ellen: I’m glad that you didn’t find Branwell at all spooky. That makes sense since he doesn’t know he is a ghost at first. In fact, I didn’t know he was a ghost at first either. That was another piece of the story that took me by surprise. I just figured Branwell was the good-natured older brother of the Biffmeyer gang. I didn’t realize he was a ghost until nearly halfway through the book, when his “mother” didn’t seem to be able to hear him. Once I realized his secret I did have to backtrack in the story to make him more invisible to everyone except Olivia.
The other reason I wanted to keep Branwell un-spooky is that most people I know who have seen a ghost say that it was not a scary experience at all. Okay, I’ll fess up, and hopefully your readers won’t think I’m a crackpot: Years ago, I also saw a ghost. While I was in college, I lived in the basement room of an old house. One night I woke up and saw a face on my wall, looking at me. Then it vanished. It sounds very creepy when I describe it, but in fact it felt perfectly natural and not at all spooky—and believe me, I’m a mega-chicken!
As the late Hans Holzer, a famous ghost-hunter, once said, “After all, a ghost is nothing more than a human being in trouble.” (I’m doing an awful lot of quoting of deceased people in this interview)

Marya: The stories that are woven together in the book are quite involved. How did you keep track of all the threads so that you could give your readers a clean conclusion?
Ellen: I’m a big fan of “strange connection” stories. I love hearing about couples who met in tennis camp when they were 8, and then lost track of each other until someone set them up on a blind date twenty years later. Or twins who were separated at birth and wound up stuck in a busted elevator together. Stories like that make me want to pay more attention to everything and everybody.
Since my mind naturally seeks connections, I think I was hyper-attuned to possible ties between Olivia’s neighbors. Still, the story threads seemed to connect themselves, and I only realized how these people’s lives intersected a few pages before the actual revelation. For instance, I had no idea who the mysterious passenger was on the SS Rosenquist until the old lady next door told her story to Olivia’s father. Of course, once these connections revealed themselves I did have to go back and edit previous sections to make it all seamless, but I was often surprised at how little editing needed to be done. The connections were there all along, I just never noticed them. The added bonus of working this way is that I’m not telegraphing anything to my readers, since I’m pretty clueless myself, so they can be genuinely shocked by what happens in the story.

Marya: You give a lot of classes and workshops. What do you like about doing this work?
Ellen: I’m always astounded by how many people—both kids and adults—want to write. I’m also astounded at how many of these same people feel like they don’t have the time or they’re not smart enough or creative enough. I love being able to prove them wrong in these workshops.

Marya: What do you enjoy about visiting classrooms?
Ellen: Classroom visits are simply one of the great perks of being a children’s book author. What’s more fun than walking into a room filled with a hundred people who are really happy to meet you, and are not too inhibited to screech?
During these visits, I try to convey that the act of writing is at once magical and every-dayish. Yes, writing can be very witchy, and you have moments where you feel you are connecting to the divine or whatever you want to call it. But that doesn’t mean you need to be a “sensitive genius” in order to be a professional writer. You only have to be curious and interested and as tenacious as a pit bull. Also, you have to not mind waiting tables for several years.
My favorite part of classroom visits is always the question-and-answer session. I especially love the totally random questions like, “If you had a dwarf hamster, and the hamster had a funny black spot on its ear, what would you name him?” Or the ever popular question that makes all the teachers cringe with mortification: “So um, how much money do you make?”

Marya: You have a busy life. What kinds of books do you like to read when you have a little time to yourself?
Ellen: I keep trying to read books for grown-ups, I really do. But they are often so relentlessly sad that I put them down and pick up my beloved children’s books instead. Of course, some of the children’s books are sad too but at least the characters seem to have some fun before the sad parts come along.
Lately, I’ve enjoyed Gilda Joyce, Psychic Investigator by Jennifer Allison and Anne Mazer’s Sister Magic series. And ok, I’ll admit it . . . the Twilight series too. I especially love dead authors like E. Nesbit’s, Ellen Raskin, and Edward Eager.

Marya: Do you write every day?
Yes, I absolutely write every day. Then I run on the treadmill for an hour, and after that I eat a hardboiled egg with whole-grain toast. Then I meditate on the wisdom of living in the sacred present.
Okay, I exaggerate. It may be closer to the truth to say . . .
I try and write every day, but sometimes I just don’t feel like it so I don’t.
Also, I occasionally walk on the treadmill for about 15 minutes at a pace that a senior citizen would find snoozy. Then I eat a hard-boiled egg chased by a handful of whatever cookies are in the cabinet. After that I meditate on things I can worry about. Then I call my husband and he tells me not to worry about those things.
Really, though, it is best to write every day if you possibly can. I think it’s a lot like a relationship with a friend. When you talk to that friend every day, you are so entrenched in their world that the conversation is instantly easy and flowing. However, if you wait several weeks, or months, to talk to that friend, there is going to be a “catching-up” period that lacks the flow of the every-day conversation. It might feel awkward until you can get back into the groove, and by the time the groove is back your friend might have to leave to get her sofa re-stuffed.
That’s why writers should write every day if they possibly can.
Marya: What did you like to read when you were Olivia Kidney’s age?
Ellen: I was a maniacal reader when I was a kid. Some of my favorite books were Harriet the Spy, A Wrinkle in Time, The Secret Garden, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. And when no books were available I read walkie-talkie instructions, the back of Cocoa Puff boxes, and the washing instruction tag on my scarf.

What a delightful interview. You can find out more about Ellen on her website.

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

An interview with Steve Augarde, author of The Various trilogy.

Good afternoon everyone. I recently read the third book in the Various trilogy, Winter Wood. In this series Steve Augarde explores a young girl's encounters with several tribes of "little people," and she discovers that she is not the first person in her family to meet the fairy folk. I was thrilled to be able to interview Steve, who is not only a superb writer, but who is also a wonderful illustrator and paper engineer.

Marya: The stories in your Various books are quite complex and involved. Did you create the history of the Various before you began writing or did it evolve over time?
Steve: It evolved over time. I had no idea when I began writing that this story would develop into such a massive project.

Marya: Did you draw on fairy tales and mythology at all to write your books about the Various?
Steve: The inclusion of elements from mythology and traditional fairy tale is deliberate, but I hope not too heavy handed. There are echoes of Little Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretel, and Robin Hood, as well as half-references to Greek mythology. Pegs isn’t so very far from Pegasus, after all. The purpose of teasing the memory in this way is to make the readers feel that the Various inhabit a real world from which some of the old legends might have sprung.

Marya: Why do the Various decide - in Winter Wood - that they need to leave and move on?
Steve: The Gorji (human) world is closing in on them. They know that sooner or later they’re going to be discovered. Their time is short.

Marya: The Various speak a number of dialects that are very interesting. Where did the inspiration for the dialects come from?
Steve: The dialect is mostly local Somerset – with a little bit of old European thrown in. ‘Renard’ for example is French for ‘fox’. ‘Corben’ for ‘crow’ has roots in the French word for ‘raven’ but could also be Norse or Germanic. The name for the character Maven-the-Green comes from the Yiddish word ‘maven’ meaning one who passes on knowledge. There are also one or two gypsy, or Romany, influences. ‘Gorji’ is close to ‘Gorgio’ the Romany word for a non-gypsy. ‘Hotchi-witchi’ is a Romany word for ‘hedgehog’.
It’s not necessary for the reader to know any of this. But I think that rooting dialect and language in this way can give it authority and credibility.

Marya: Did you believe in the “little people” when you were a child?
Steve: Probably. But ‘little people’ rather than ‘fairies’. Leprechauns, Will o’ the Wisp, Cornish piskies, Scots kelpies – these seemed more possible than winged Titania.

Marya: You did the illustrations for the Various books and they are quite beautiful. How did you create them?
Steve: I use scraperboard. This is a type of card, about the same weight as mounting board, but with a smooth clay surface. The technique involves inking this clay surface and then working into it with a scraperboard tool - scratching away the black ink with a blade, in order that a white underlayer shows through. The blades are available in various shapes. Scraperboard usually comes ready-coated with a black surface, but I prefer to use white board and apply the ink myself. This means that I can paint in the general framework of the illustration and there will be less ink to scrape away.

Marya: In addition to writing, you also illustrate and do the paper engineering for books. Which of your various (no pun intended here) hats do you enjoy wearing the most?
Steve: Whichever I’m not currently sweating under! None of it’s easy, so if I’m paper-engineering I’ll wish I was writing, if I’m writing I’ll wish I was drawing…
Being able to switch from one skill to another is how I’ve survived. Some might say I’m multi-talented, others might call me a jack-of-all trades. But it beats digging ditches either way.

Marya: Have you always loved to draw?
Steve: Yes. My dad was a pretty good artist – a sometime scenery painter before he got married and had to look for a ‘proper’ job. He was encouraging of me as a child, and there was always a pencil around. Paper was in shorter supply. At home I used to draw on the bits of card that came in Shredded Wheat packets.

Marya: How did you get into the children’s book world in the first place?
Steve: At art college. I was on an illustration course, and one of the projects we were given was to produce some chapter heading drawings for three Hans Anderson stories. Looking at the work of Arthur Rackham and Heath Robinson inspired me to try and find publishers who would give me a chance as a children’s book illustrator. And they did.

Marya: The writing muse is a fickle thing. Do your best ideas come to you at certain times or in certain situations?
Steve: Yeah – whenever the mortgage is due. Seriously, if you want writing to be your job you’d better write something that you can sell. And your work is more likely to sell if you believe in it yourself. Ideas are cheap and plentiful, it’s fashioning them into something you can believe in that’s the hard part. And children know. You can’t sell them short.

Marya: What kinds of books did you like to read when you were Midge’s age?
Steve: Malcolm Saville, Arthur Ransome, Rider Haggard, Captain Marryat – the usual suspects. I try consciously to write the kind of books that I would have loved as a twelve year old, and I never forget how wonderful books were to me at that age. I won’t knock something out for the sake of it. It has to come from the heart. If you can move yourself, then you’ll move others; a piece of advice my publisher gave me, and one worth hanging onto.

Thank you so much Steve.
You can find out more about Steve Augarde on his website.

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

The Savvy Blog Book: Day Three - What's your savvy?

For this third day in the Savvy blog book tour I thought that it might be interesting, and perhaps amusing, to talk about savvies. In Ingrid Law's book a savvy is a magical gift that you acquire when you turn thirteen. In Mibs' case she became able to hear the voices of tattoos and other markings that people around her had on their skin. In my town this would be very disquieting because so many people have tattoos. What would the Mayan glyphs that a friend has tattooed on his arms say? What would the ivy tattoo on my own hand tell me?

After I had my inteview with Ingrid I began to think about savvies. I do believe that we all have savvies - though alas, they are not magical in nature. Still, they can be very powerful in their own way, and they can have a profound effect on our lives. I know, without a doubt, that my father's savvy was his ability to be curious about the world. Even when he was almost eighty my father never stopped wanting to learn. He never stopped asking questions. I can only hope that my curiosity about the world will last like his did.

I like to think that my strongest savvy is being able to feel compassion for others who are having a hard time. I myself have experienced some very difficult times in my life, and I think these experiences have made me more sensitive to the troubles of others. Of course this compassion does have a down side - I am so easily moved by the troubles of others that I spend a lot of time worrying about them. This takes a lot of energy and it can be exhausting. Nevertheless I would not want to lose my savvy.

My husband's savvy is that he is very rarely upset by what is going on around him. I often wish I had his cool head. By contrast, I am impatient and lose my temper quite easily. Annoyances that drive me crazy seem to have little to no impact on him.

Other savvies I have encountered in my friends are: the ability to make people laugh, the ability to solve problems with ease, the ability to make others feel that they are special, the ability to make even the shyest person feel comfortable, and the ability to eat as much as one wants without gaining a pound (sigh).

I'd love to hear what you think your savvies are, so please join me in this discussion.

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

The Savvy Blog Book Tour - Day Two

Good morning. Today I will be 'talking' to Ingrid Law, the author of Savvy.

Marya: Where did the idea of someone having a savvy come from?
Ingrid: In some ways, a "savvy" is just a metaphor for some aspect of growing up. When we are kids--especially kids becoming teens--so many things can feel huge and out of control, just like a new savvy. But I also wanted to show in the book that everyone has a talent, whether or not they call it their "savvy" or not.

Marya: Why did you call it a savvy rather than a gift or a talent?
Ingrid: I knew I wanted to write a book about magical children without ever using the word "magic." Yet, I wanted to pick a word that anyone could relate to and "savvy" fit the bill nicely. Also, the word was originally a noun and was used as such for over one hundred years before ever being used as an adjective.

Marya: What do you think your savvies are?
Ingrid: I always answer this question three ways. My dream savvy would be to fly or breathe underwater. My silly savvy is that I am clumsy and spill things all the time. And my real savvy is that I smile a lot.

Marya: It seems to me that a lot of people don’t even try to discover what their true inner savvies are because they are so busy making a living and surviving? Would you agree?
Ingrid: Yet, even so, even while making a living or simply surviving, we have all have strengths. Sometimes it's just a matter of recognizing what those strengths are. A savvy doesn't have to be something grandiose. It can be as simple as being good at making pancakes into shapes, or always knowing when our child might need a hug. That may sound simple and sentimental, but having been a single mom for fourteen years, I know how important it is to recognize the importance little things that make a day more special. Often it is those things that end up being most important to someone else.

Marya: How did you come up with idea for Mibs’s savvy? It is certainly unusual.
Ingrid: Mibs is learning to trust her own voice and know when to block out the voices of other people. But I wanted to have a fun and visual way for her abilities to manifest to demonstrate this concept.
When Mibs’s savvy arrives it is not what she hoped for at all, and at first she cannot imagine how her savvy could ever be useful. She has to experience certain things before she is able to see how her savvy could be an asset.

Marya: Do you feel that a lot of people are like Mibs in that they don’t truly appreciate the gifts that they have?
Ingrid: Things don't always go the way we want them to or the way we hope. We have no control over how tall we are or what color eyes we have--or even some of the things that happen to us in our life. Some things are out of our control. Yet, other things can be attained through hard work and the belief that the skills and talents we each have hold merit. Mibs resists her new savvy because it's not something she believes will help her poppa, and that is what she wants more than anything. But her savvy is really there to teach her about herself and help her become the person she is going to be.

Marya: Your book is full of powerful imagery. Do you feel that you are particularly sensitive to seeing and capturing imagery as you go about your life?
Ingrid: Yes, I tend to respond to life through metaphor. I see pictures where there aren't meant to be pictures and think of stories when I listen to music. I've always made up stories in my head, long before I ever put them down on paper.

Marya: Savvy has been very well received. How does this make you feel?
Ingrid: It's been very exciting and, at times, more than a little overwhelming.

Marya: Some of the books I have reviewed have given me something that I believe I will always carry with me. Savvy is one of these books. What would you like your book to give your readers?
Ingrid: I hope that Savvy might encourage readers to appreciate themselves and others for who they are and to know that everyone has gifts, even if those gifts take work or don't come easily at first.

Marya: Are you planning on bringing back Mibs and her colorful family?
Ingrid: I love these characters and their crazy family tree. I am working on a follow up to Savvy, though the main character is someone knew. There will be a few familiar faces along the way, but I felt that Mibs's story has been thoroughly told and want to look at the idea of getting a savvy from an all new perspective.

You can find out more about Ingrid by looking at her website and her blog

Monday, April 27, 2009

The Savvy Blog Book Tour - Day One

Good morning everyone. For the next three days we are going to be looking at the book Savvy. Written by Ingrid Law, this very unique and memorable story is one of the best books that I have reviewed this year. Here is my review.

Savvy
Ingrid Law
Fiction
Ages 9 to 12
Penguin, 2008, 978-0-8037-3306-0
Mibs is about to turn thirteen and in her family this particular birthday is very important. The reason for this is that this is the age when people in her family get their “savvy,” their special gift or talent. When Mibs' brother Fish turned thirteen he caused a hurricane, and he has struggled with his storm creating tendencies every since. Her other big brother Rocket attracts electricity, and his gift not only breaks appliances but it also runs the family car.
Mibs is eager to find out what her savvy will be, and then all her hopes for a special birthday celebration are dashed. Her father is involved in a terrible multi-car pileup on the highway, and soon Mibs’ mother heads for Salina to be with her injured husband. Mibs stays at home with her bothers and her grandfather in the care of the preacher’s wife. Which is why Mibs finds herself in the church on her birthday attending a party that she does not want, and surrounded by people she does not really like. All Mibs wants to do is to go to Salina to be with her mother. She is convinced that she will be able to use her savvy will help her father.
And this is when Mibs gets the brilliant idea. While the party is going on, she sneaks onto the pink bus that a bible salesman drives, thinking that he must be going back to the city. Her brothers Fish and Sampson, and the preacher’s children also get on the bus. Unfortunately the driver goes north instead of south, in the wrong direction, and Mibs begins to wonder when she will be able to be with her father. She is also very worried about her savvy, which has arrived on time. It is not at all what Mibs expected, and she cannot help wondering what use it will be to her.
In this powerful book, Ingrid Law explores friendships, she looks at an important rite of passage, and she shows her readers how well meant plans can go hopelessly awry – in both sad and funny ways. This is a memorable book filled with beautiful language, splendid imagery, and colorful characters.

Please come back tomorrow for my interview with Ingrid, and do visit the other bloggers who are participating in this tour.

A Christian Worldview of Fiction, All About Children’s Books, Becky’s Book Reviews, Booking Mama, Cafe of Dreams, Dolce Bellezza, Fireside Musings, Hyperbole, KidzBookBuzz.com, Looking Glass Reviews, Maw Books Blog, Never Jam Today, Olive Tree, Our Big Earth, The 160 Acrewoods, Through a Child’s Eyes

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Happy Earth Day! A book review and book giveaway

Happy Earth Day Everyone! In honor of this important day I have a review to share with you and some book giveaways. A few years ago I came across the Sleeping Bear Press alphabet books, and since then I have been a real fan of these terrific books. Last month I reviewed S is for Save the Planet: A How-to-be-Green Alphabet. Here is my review:

S is for Save the Planet: A How-to-be Green Alphabet
Brad Herzog
Illustrated by Linda Holt Ayriss
Non-Fiction
Ages 6 to 9
Sleeping Bear Press, 2009, 1-58536-428-2
Today, perhaps more than ever before, people around the world are growing to appreciate that “every little bit helps” when it comes to protecting the environment. There are many things that children and their families can do to make this world a cleaner, greener, and healthier place to live.
To help children to see that there are so many things that they can do Sleeping Bear Press put together this clever alphabet book. For each letter of the alphabet, the author has found an environmental topic to explore. Many of the topics include suggestions that show children how they can make green choices every day. For example, on the C page we see a child riding to school so that fuel is conserved and so that less pollution ends up in the air. The L page talks about eating food that is grown locally. Eating food that is fresher and that does not have to travel many miles to get to us is a good strategy.
For every letter of the alphabet, the author gives his readers a poem to enjoy. Younger children will like listening to or reading the two rhyming stanzas that compliment the artwork. In addition to the poems, the author has also written a longer piece of descriptive text. This explores the highlighted topic in more detail. This format allows children of a variety of ages to appreciate this valuable title.
This is just one in a series of informative alphabet books published by Sleeping Bear Press.

The people at Sleeping Bear Press have very kindly donated five copies of this book to offer as giveaways. If you would like a copy drop me a line.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

In Honor of Earth Day

Earth Day is tomorrow, and in honor of this special day I would like to tell you about two projects that I think children and young people will greatly enjoy being a part of. One is the Lorax Project. This is a program that Conservation International has put together to educate children about the grave dangers that the world's forests face. Better still, the project gives children the ability to do something about the problem. The Lorax Project website is full of tips that show children what they can do on a daily basis to protect our planet. There are also games, activities, downloads, and much more to enjoy on this site.

Planet Connect is another website that young people will find empowering. As they look around the site, young people will see that people from all over the world are doing amazing things to help preserve the environment. Visitors to the site can find out about programs they can join, contests they can enter, and green initiatives that are changing the way people do business. Best of all, young people will be able to see what other people of their own age are doing to make their world greener, cleaner, and healthier.
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