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, July 4, 2012
Fiction Wednesday - A review of Saffy's Angel
I love to read books that are about colorful, unique, perhaps even eccentric people. Today's title is full of odd characters whose approach to life is, shall we say, rather unconventional. What thrills me is that this title is the first book in a series. I have many hours to look forward to in the company of the crazy family who features in these stories.
Hilary McKay
Fiction
For ages 9 to 12
Simon and Schuster, 2001, 978-0-689-84934-3
When Saffron finally
learns how to read, she discovers two important things. Unlike the names of her
siblings (Cadmium, Indigo, and Rose) her name is not on the color chart that is
pinned to the kitchen wall. For some reason, her name is not a paint color and
this is a very disturbing discovery to make. Why would her mother, Eve Casson,
name all the other children after paint colors and not her?
The second thing
Saffy (this Saffron’s nick name) learns, she finds out by accident. Thanks to
the slip of someone’s tongue, Saffy finds out that she was not born into the
Casson family. She was adopted. In fact, she is the daughter of Eve Casson’s
sister, and is therefore Caddy, Indigo, and Rose’s cousin instead of being
their sister.
Finding out that
she was adopted turns Saffy’s world upside down. She has nothing to connect her
to her dead mother except Grandpa. After his daughter died in a car crash in
Italy, Grandpa was the one who drove all the way to Siena to bring three-year-old
Saffy back to England. Even though Grandpa is now elderly and does speak or connect
with the world, Saffy loves him and is close to him. Her name is the only thing
Grandpa has said since he lost the ability to speak.
Ten year’s after that
dreadful drive from Italy, Grandpa dies. Eve and her husband share his will
with their children, thinking that they are all old enough to deal with this.
Since most of Grandpa’s earthly possessions were sold or fell apart long ago, Indigo
will not be able to have Grandpa’s car, and Caddy will not get his house in
Wales. Included with his will is a note saying that he leaves Saffron “Her
angel in the garden.”
At first no one
knows what the note is talking about, but then Saffy remembers that there was a
stone angel in the garden in Siena, a stone angel she loved when she was
little. Her Grandpa knew that Saffy loved the statue and so he left it to her.
The problem is that Grandpa did not bring the angel back to England. It is
still in Italy, and therefore Saffy will never be able to get it back. She will
never be able to reconnect with her past.
As you read this
book it is hard not to fall in love with the decidedly peculiar Casson family.
Their lives are full of odd adventures and colorful characters, and at times
they all seem to be quite out of touch with reality. Thankfully, this really
does not seem to matter very much because the Cassons are a team. They are
bound together by the love and the fierce loyalty that they feel for one
another.
This is the first
Casson family story.
Monday, July 2, 2012
Picture Book Monday - A review of Lou! Summertime Blues
I grew up reading the titles in two graphic novel series, the Tintin books and the Asterix books. In both, the stories are entertaining, and in the case of the Asterix titles, they are also full of social and political commentary. One thing the stories in these books do not do, is to explore issues that are relevant to young people today. The stories in the Lou! books do do this, and they do it very well. Tweens will see how Lou deals with her mother's dating woes, how she feels when the boy she likes lets her down, and how she copes with life's daily trails and tribulations.
Today's title is the second of the Lou! graphic novels, and I found it to be both entertaining and thoughtful.
Today's title is the second of the Lou! graphic novels, and I found it to be both entertaining and thoughtful.
Julien
Neel
Graphic
Novel
For
ages 9 to 12
Lerner
Publishing, 2012, 978-0-7613-8869-2
For
most people, the summer vacation is a time for fun. For Lou and her mother
Emma, anticipating the summer vacation has them singing their version of the blues.
Lou is upset because her best friend Mina is not going to be around, and
because the boy Lou likes (Tristan) has moved away without even saying goodbye.
Emma is unhappy because Richard, her cute neighbor, is going to be gone for the
summer and she misses him. Both Lou and Emma are “bummed” because they have to
spend a month with Memaw, Emma’s mother, and Memaw is not a warm and cuddly
person. In fact, she is often unkind and mean. And she cooks Brussels sprouts
every day.
Reluctantly, Emma and Lou get onto a train,
and all too soon they arrive at Mortsville, the village where Emma grew up and
where Memaw still lives. In no time at all, Emma and Memaw are screaming at
each other, and Lou is wishing that she could go home. In Lou’s opinion, Emma’s
situation is not that dire because Richard is writing to her. Lou doesn’t have
someone writing to her, telling her how much she is missed. In fact she feels
very lonely indeed; until she meets a very strange boy called Paul.
Almost thirteen-year-old Lou is the kind of
person that most tweens and teens can identify with. Combining humor and
poignancy, the author perfectly captures the joys and woes of growing up.
Friday, June 29, 2012
Poetry Friday - A review of Nasty Bugs
When I studied zoology at university, one of my favorite subjects was entomology, which is not surprising because I have always had a fondness for insects. When I was little, I used to lie on my stomach and watch ants going about their business. I would bring them crumbs and marvel at the way they could carry my gifts away, even though the crumbs were two or three times bigger than the ants who were carrying them.
There are some insects though that I do not like. Mosquitoes and wasps for example. In today's poetry title you will meet a few insect species that are just plain "nasty."
There are some insects though that I do not like. Mosquitoes and wasps for example. In today's poetry title you will meet a few insect species that are just plain "nasty."
Selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins
Illustrated by Will Terry
Poetry Picture Book
For ages 7 to 9
Penguin, 2012, 978-0-8037-3716-7
It is true that there are many species of
beneficial insects in the world. There are insects that garner our admiration
because of their beauty or because they provide us with a vital service, such
as pollinating our flowers and trees. Then there are the insects that we sincerely
wish were not around. There are the mosquitoes that bite us, the ticks that
suck our blood, the lice that itch, and the insects that quiet simply revolt
us. This book is about these insects, the ones that we love to hate.
The first poem is about the stink bug. In the
big scheme of things, this insect isn’t too bad. After all, it does not “hiss /
or sting / or bite.” This insect is an inoffensive looking creature, but it has
a secret, a smelly secret that you will find about (and regret) if you are
foolish enough to touch it.
Further on in the book we meet a species of
insect that is far more troublesome. Here are fleas who feast on animals and
humans, making our lives miserable. Not only do they give us nasty bites, but
these little pests “drink blood, spread disease.” It is quite easy to see why
the author of this poem, Marilyn Singer, says “Can’t we please get rid of
fleas?”
Fleas, chiggers, mosquitoes, wasps and other
insects bite and sting, but there are also the nasty little creatures who disgust
us because of their looks and habits. One of the worst examples of these are
maggots. Let’s face it, there is very little to like in these slimy larva who
love to eat their way through spoiled and rotten food. Some people feel the
same way about cockroaches, the tribe of insects that has managed to survive on
Earth for “three hundred million years,” and whose presence in our homes makes
us wish that our cave dwelling ancestors had “sprayed the whole / Family tree
for pest control.”
Readers who like a little nastiness in their
reading material are going to love this collection of poems. The sixteen poems
were written by poets such as Alice Schertle, Douglas Florian, and Rebecca Kai
Dotlitch. Some of the poems were especially commissioned for this deliciously
buggy title.
At the back of the book, Lee Bennett Hopkins
provides his readers with further information about the insects mentioned in
the book. If you thought the bugs in the poems were nasty before, wait until
you read the supplemental information about them!
Labels:
Children's book reviews,
Poetry books,
Poetry Friday
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Fiction Wednesday - A review of Artsy-Fartsy
I love books that are presented in a diary or journal format. Today's title is just such a book, and I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. In the book, the writer is a boy whose summer vacation is just starting. All he really wants to do is to lie around and be lazy all summer, but this is not what ends up happening at all.
Karla Oceanak
Illustrated by Kenda Spanjer
Fiction
For ages 9 to 12
Bailiwick Press, 2009, 978-1-934649-04-6
Aldo’s grandmother
Goosy has given him a sketch book for his birthday and he has no idea what he
is going to do with it. Goosy’s inscription says that the book is for
“recording all you artsy-farsty ideas,” which has Aldo feeling a little
concerned. He does not really want anyone to think of him as an artsy-fartsy
kind of person, even though he really does like to draw.
Not knowing what to
put in the book, Aldo goes and asks his neighbor, Mr. Mot, for his opinion. Mr.
Mot, being a word fanatic, thinks that Aldo should write as well as draw in his
new book. Actually Aldo has already started doing this, so Mr. Mot’s suggestion
isn’t that outrageous an idea.
The summer vacation
has started and Aldo is all set to laze about and do what a ten-year-old boy
who hates sports is supposed to do during the summer vacation. Then his mother
announces that she has signed Aldo up for summer baseball. Aldoo throws a fit,
but this has no impact on his parents whatsoever. Aldo, the boy who hates to do
anything physical, is going to have to do baseball.
The pain of having
to do baseball is tempered a little bit by a mystery. Aldo leaves his new sketchbook
in his tree hideout while he is at baseball, and when he retrieves the book, he
sees that someone has drawn in it. Who would do such a thing? Since the drawing
is flowery in nature, Aldo and his friend Jack are convinced that the culprit
is a girl, and they set about trying to find out which girl did the drawings.
The problem is that Jack and Aldo generally ignore girls, so they have no idea
which of the neighborhood girls would do a thing like this. Will they catch her
in the act if they hide near the tree, or will they have to do something more
sneaky?
This funny and
realistic summer vacation tale will delight readers who like stories that are presented
in a journal style format. Aldo’s observations about himself, his friends, his
family members, and the world in general are deliciously amusing. Readers who
have their own (perhaps ambivalent) artistic aspirations will find Aldo’s artsy
fartsy adventures quite revealing.
This is the first
title in what promises to be a splendid series of books.
Monday, June 25, 2012
Picture Book Monday - A review of Seven Little Mice go to the beach
Schools are now closed in Southern Oregon, and children and their families are enjoying the warm summery weather. The ocean here is a little cold for swimming, but there are many lakes and rivers where one can enjoy swimming, picnicking, and playing. Today's picture book perfectly captures the excitement that children feel during those first days of their summer vacation.
Haruo Yamashita
Illustrated by Kazuo Iwamura
Picture Book
For ages 4 to 6
NorthSouth, 2012, 978-0-7358-4073-7
Tomorrow is the first day of the summer vacation, and the
mice septuplets are delighted because they won’t have to go to school. Even
better, the children’s father tells them that they are all going to go to the
beach on their first day off. What could be more perfect. They will be able to
play in the sand, and best of all they will swim in the sea. There is only one
problem; none of the mice children know how to swim without some kind of
flotation assistance. Father, who knows his children well, tells them that they
“need to be safe in the water,” and he makes seven ring life preservers for his
children.
At the beach the
next day all goes well. The seven mice children use their flotation rings, and
Mother and Father keep an eye on them. Tired after all their exertions,
everyone has a nap after lunch, which is when something very unexpected
happens.
In this charming
picture book, the author not only tells a great story, but he also highlights
the importance of being safe when you are playing in the water. Little children
will love to see how the mice children in this story end up saving the day when
their father gets into a spot of trouble. The illustrations are packed with
clever little details, and children will laugh when they see the expressions on
the character’s faces.
Friday, June 22, 2012
Poetry Friday - A review of Zen Ties
I know that I am stretching things reviewing this book on Poetry Friday, but I felt that it fits because one of the characters speaks in haiku throughout the story. I thought it would be interesting for you to see how poetry and prose can be combined to create a one-of-a-kind tale, which is what this is.
Jon J. Muth
Picture Book
For ages 6 and up
Scholastic Press, 2005 ISBN: 978-0439634250
Stillwater is waiting at the train station. His nephew Koo is coming to spend the summer vacation with him. When Koo arrives, Stillwater gives his little nephew a bunch of colorful balloons as a welcome gift. Then the two panda bears begin to walk to Stillwater's house. There is a park on the way where they stop to have a little tea. Stillwater's friends Addy, Michael, and Carl arrive, and the bears and the children have a grand time playing together for a while.
Picture Book
For ages 6 and up
Scholastic Press, 2005 ISBN: 978-0439634250
Stillwater is waiting at the train station. His nephew Koo is coming to spend the summer vacation with him. When Koo arrives, Stillwater gives his little nephew a bunch of colorful balloons as a welcome gift. Then the two panda bears begin to walk to Stillwater's house. There is a park on the way where they stop to have a little tea. Stillwater's friends Addy, Michael, and Carl arrive, and the bears and the children have a grand time playing together for a while.
While they are
playing, Michael tells Stillwater that he is going to be in a spelling bee. He
is nervous about the whole thing and is worried that his nervousness will
prevent him from doing his best. Stillwater suggests that the children come
with him to visit Miss Whitaker that afternoon. Miss Whitaker is ill, and
Stillwater is going to take her some food. Though the children are afraid of
Miss Whitaker, they agree to go along.
Miss Whitaker does not seem happy to see the children, and
she certainly looks unwell, but Stillwater does not worry about her ill temper.
He encourages the children to clean up the house and to paint some pictures for
the old lady. He also encourages them to return the next day.
At Miss Whitaker's
house the following morning, Stillwater tells Michael that the old lady used to
be an English teacher. In no time Miss Whitaker is helping Michael to study for
his spelling bee. After all, she knows a good deal about words and how to spell
them.
The next day
Michael has great news to share with everyone and the children who were once so
afraid of Miss Whitaker learn that they truly have a new friend.
All too often in
this day and age we forget that we do not all exist on separate islands. Instead,
we are all connected, and when we do things for one another those connections
often turn into something very special indeed. In his big soft panda way,
Stillwater brings together an old lady and three children, and in no time at
all warm friendships spring up between them.
Readers who like poetry will greatly enjoy the clever way in
which the author has little Koo speaking in haiku, the Japanese poetry form.
The poems capture the moments they describe to perfection, and sometimes with
humor as well.
Clever word plays,
a tender story, sections of poetry, and Jon Muth's evocative watercolor
paintings combine to create a picture book that readers will not forget in a
hurry.
Labels:
Children's book reviews,
picture book,
Poetry Friday
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Fiction Wednesday - A review of Regarding the bees
Several years ago, I came across a series of books that intrigued me a great deal. The Regarding the... books written by Kate Klise and illustrated by her sister M. Sarah Klise both entertain and enlighten readers. The stories are presented in the form of letters, notes, newspaper articles, and other similar documents, and they are full of clever wordplay, amusing situations, and colorful characters.
Today I have my review of one of these titles, and I hope you get a chance to read the book.
Kate Klise
Illustrated by M. Sarah Klise
Fiction
For ages 9 to 12
Harcourt, 2007, 978-0-15-205711-4
The principal of
Geyser Creek Middle School, Mr. Russ, is going to be taking off the fall
semester, and he has appointed Mr. Sam N. to be the Acting Principal while he
is gone. Mr. Sam N. has asked his friend Florence to take care of his seventh
grade class so that he can be the Acting Principal.
Florence lives in
California, so she will be teaching her 7th grade class using
letters, giving the students assignments regularly. Mr. Sam N. writes to
Florence to tell her that this year the seventh graders face a particularly
tough BEE (Basic Education Evaluation) in December. Apparently, the powers that
be have decided that any seventh grader who does not do well in the BEEs will
have to repeat middle school. The only problem is that he does not tell
Florence what BEE stands for, so she is under the impression that he is talking
about real honest-to-goodness bees, as in the insects.
Not surprisingly,
the fact that Florence does not know that the BEE is an exam and not an insect
causes rather a lot of confusion. Instead of helping her class prepare for the
exam, she sets about educating them about bees. She even sends them a pet bee
and some hives to take care of.
This
misunderstanding is only the tip of the iceberg though. In addition to the BEE
problem, Mr. Sam N. and his wife Goldie are having communication issues, as are
Chef Angelo and his wife Angel. Then there is also the fact that Polly Nader, a
teacher at Springfield Middle School, is determined that her students must win
the Show-Me Spelling Bee and do well on the BEEs so that she can win the HIVE
(Highly Innovative and Victorious Educator) Prize. She is willing to do
anything to make this happen, including trying to get Florence removed from her
job as teacher.
Packed with
bee-related information and clever word play, this deliciously clever story
will keep readers on their toes, as they try to guess what crazy thing is going
to happen next. Instead of using a straight narrative, the author tells the
story using letters, newspaper articles, and school assignments. Readers will
be amused to see how a simple lack of communication causes all kinds of
misunderstandings and problems.
This is one of the
titles in a series of books by created by sisters Kate Klise and M. Sarah
Klise.
Monday, June 18, 2012
Picture Book Monday - A review of All the way to America
I have always been fascinated by immigrant stories, both fiction and nonfiction, and I have reviewed a lot of books that explore what it was like to emigrate to North America, as you can see on this feature page. Today's picture book is a true immigration story told by Dan Yaccarino, a much-loved and highly successful children's book author and illustrator.
Dan Yaccarino
Picture Book
For ages 6 to 8
Random House, 2011, 978-0-375-86642-5
Many years ago, Dan
Yaccarino’s great-grandfather Michele was a little boy living with his family
on a farm in Sorrento, Italy. Michele had a little shovel, and he used this to
do his share of the work on his family’s farm. Though they all worked very hard,
Michele’s family was “always very poor.”
When he grew up
into a young man, Michele decided to leave Italy. He hoped that he would find
“new opportunities” in America. When he left his homeland, Michele took some
family photos, his little shovel, and his mother’s recipe for tomato sauce with
him.
The journey to
America was a long one, and when he got to New York City, Michele had to pass
through Ellis Island. Like so many other immigrants, Michele’s name was changed
by the officials at Ellis Island, and his new name was Michael Yaccarino.
Michael got a job
in a bakery, and he used his little shovel to measure out the flour and sugar.
Later, when he became a pushcart peddler, Michael used the shovel to measure
out fruits and nuts. Michael’s son Dan worked alongside him, and when Dan grew
up, he and his wife Helen opened up a market. Dan used his father’s little
shovel to measure out beans, macaroni, and olives for customers. With each new
generation, the family grew bigger, and the treasured little shovel was passed
down from father to son.
In this wonderful
picture book, children’s book author and illustrator, Dan Yaccarino, tells the
story of his family. Children will be charmed to see how traditions were passed
down through the family, and how every generation did its best to make life
better for the generation to come. With a strong work ethic, close family ties,
and a connection with
the past, Dan’s family created a legacy that they can be
proud of.
Sunday, June 17, 2012
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