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.
Friday, April 1, 2016
Poetry Friday with a review of Echo Echo: Reverso poems about Greek myths
When I was growing up on the island of Cyprus in the Mediterranean, I read many of the Greek myths. Some of the places mentioned in the myths I was even lucky enough to see in Greece, including Mount Olympus, where the Gods were said to live. In today's book readers will encounter some of these myths but in poetry form. And the poems they will encounter can be read in two ways, which makes this bookish poetry experience quite unique. Happy Poetry Month!
Echo Echo: Reverso poems about Greek myths
Marilyn Singer
Illustrated by Josee Masse
Poetry Picture Book
For ages 5 to 8
Penguin, 2016, 978-0-8037-3992-5
Often we like to think that there is only one side to a story, the side that we believe in. The truth of the matter is that usually there are at least two sides to a story that often contradict each other, two perspectives as seen through the eyes of two very different people who are on opposite sides of the story.
In this very unique book of poetry the author takes us into the world of Greek mythology so that we can explore the two sides of some of Greece’s most famous stories. The myths were created so that people could explain the world they lived in, a world that was often full of chaos and unknowns, which is perhaps why so many people are drawn to them.
Chaos is certainly at the heart of the story about Pandora and her famous box. The story goes that Zeus gave Pandora a box telling her not to open it. Being human and curious, and prone to doing things that she is told not to do, Pandora opened the box and let loose “all the evils of the world.”
This is the first myth that is explored in this book. We are presented with two poems, placed side by side, and hear the story from two points of view. In one Pandora is blamed for what happened, and in the other we are see that Pandora could well have been Zeus’ pawn, that he planned the whole terrible businesses. What makes things interesting is that the second poem is the reverse of the first, with the last line of the first poem serving as the first line of the second.
In the poem King Midas and his Daughter, the story of the king whose greed led to his daughter being turned into a gold statue is told first from the point of view of the daughter and then from the point of view of the king. The daughter’s voice tells us how she was “so needy / so greedy” for a loving touch from her unaffectionate father. The father’s narrative tells us that he was “ so greedy / so needy” to have the magic touch that turned things into gold, and he paid dearly for the gift he was given.
The other myths explored in the book include the story of Arachne and Athens, the tragic tale of Narcissus and Echo, and the ill-fated story of Icarus and Daedalus.
The poems in this book show great creativity, and they certainly bring old myths to life, but they do more than that. This book shows, to great effect, how problems might arise when two people see the same thing from only one point of view.
Monday, March 28, 2016
Picture Book Monday with a review of Waiting
For many of us waiting is a bore. Sometimes it is very frustrating and annoying. We feel that we are wasting time, time that would be better spent if we were not waiting. Sometimes we are wasting precious time, but there are many other times when waiting is actually a good thing, when the act of waiting offers up joys of its own. Today's picture book explores this idea in the most delightful way.
Waiting
Waiting
Kevin Henkes
Picture Book
For ages 5 to 7
HarperCollins, 2015, 978-0-06-236843-0
There are five toys that sit on a windowsill and they are
all waiting. The little pink pig with the umbrella is waiting for the rain. The
owl is waiting for the moon. The little bear with the kite is waiting for the
wind, and the puppy on the sled is waiting for some snow. The rabbit is not
waiting for something special. He just likes to look out of the window. He just
waits because he enjoys doing so.
The owl is lucky
because the moon turns up “a lot.” The pig and bear also got to enjoy the rain
and the wind regularly. Snowfalls are not as common, but they do happen, and
when they do the puppy is very happy.
Life on the
windowsill does not change a great deal. Sometimes one of the toys goes away
for a while and sometimes they all sleep. Occasionally gifts appear, and once a
little toy elephant came to stay. He, alas, fell off the windowsill and broke,
which was very upsetting.
Through their
window the little toys see so many things that add to their experiences, and
then one day a new toy arrives and she has a little secret of her own.
Our lives are
full of times when we have to wait, and all too often we do so with impatience,
and perhaps even with frustration and annoyance. We want what we are waiting
for to arrive now.
In this gently
paced, softly colored picture book, we explore the idea that sometimes the
process of waiting is, in and of itself, a joy. If we take it all in as we wait,
and enjoy the journey, there is a good chance that we will discover treasures
that we might have otherwise missed. We don’t have to be doing a great deal,
and rushing about, to discover so many of the experiences that life has to
offer.
Sunday, March 27, 2016
Friday, March 25, 2016
Poetry Friday with a review of Now you see them now you don’t: Poems about creatures that hide
I first started getting interested in animals after I read a book called My Family and Other Animals, which was written by Gerald Durrell. I then went on to read many other books about animals, and learned all kinds of fascinating things about how animals have adapted to different environments and circumstances. Camouflage is one of these adaptations and it takes many remarkable forms, which is why I was delighted to review today's poetry title. In this book readers will meet just a few of the animals who use camouflage to hide their presence from predators or prey.
Now you see them now you don’t: Poems about creatures that hide
Illustrated by Giles Laroche
Poetry Nonfiction Picture book
For ages 6 to 8
Charlesbridge, 2016, 978-1-58089-610-8
For millennia animals have been using camouflage to help
them hide from predators, prey, or both. Being able to camouflage their
appearance has given mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and other animals the
ability to survive, an ability that they have passed on to their decedents.
In this stunning
book, cut-paper relief illustrations are paired with nineteen poems, each one
of which explores how camouflage helps an animal species to be successful. We
travel from beaches to polar climes, from forests to swamps, from meadows to
jungles. Some of the species are large and impressive, while others are very
small, but are still worthy of our respect and interest.
We begin on a
sandy beach where a ghost crab blends in perfectly with its environment. When
danger threatens, the little crustacean freezes and waits until it is safe to
“scurry, hide, / dig, hole, /dive, inside.” With its sand colored shell and
appendages, the crab can hide in plain sight if it has to.
The octopus is a
master of disguise. It can change the color of its skin to blend in with its
surroundings. This ability helps it to hide from a passing fish that is looking
for a meal, or so that it can grab passing prey in its “sucker arms.”
In a swamp or
marshland, alligators float in the water with only their snouts and backs
showing. The alligator waits, for all the world looking like a log or piece of
debris. What potential prey animals don’t know is that “Hidden where / they
never show,/ are teeth / and teeth / and teeth below.”
When you see a
tiger in a zoo you cannot imagine that its bold stripes are actually a
wonderful form of camouflage, but in its native habitat where there are
“Dappled shadows, / waving grasses,” a tiger’s stripes allow it to blend in
beautifully. From where it waits the tiger can watch and when the time is right
it will attack like “striped lightning.”
At the back of
the book readers will find further information about all the species featured in
the book.
Labels:
Children's book reviews,
Poetry books,
Poetry Friday
Monday, March 21, 2016
Picture Book Monday with a review of Gordon and Tapir
Friendship is a funny thing. Sometimes our best friends are just like us. We are like two halves of a whole, and we know and understand one another completely. Sometimes our friends are very different from us, and they have habits and interests that we do not, or cannot, understand at all. In today's picture book title you will meet two friends who are very different, and who hit a rough patch that shakes their relationship to its core.
Gordon and Tapir
Gordon and Tapir
Sebastian Meschenmoser
Translated by David Henry Wilson
Picture Book
For ages 5 to 7
NorthSouth, 2016, 978-0-7358-4219-9
One day Gordon the penguin is in the toilet when he
realizes that there is no toilet paper. Not in the best of moods he waddles out
of the toilet and follows the toilet paper trial, which leads him to Tapir’s
room. When he opens the door, he sees that his friend and housemate is sitting
in a room that is bedecked with toilet paper. Tapir is eating fruit and is clearly
very content with the chaotic state of his living quarters. Gordon is not.
Gordon complains
about Tapir’s slovenly habits and wonders how anyone can make such a mess.
After all, Tapir isn’t “a wild animal.” Tapir responds by criticizing Gordon’s
persnickety “love of tidiness.” Living with a neat freak is no picnic. Back and
forth the friends squabble and then they go their separate ways to their bedrooms.
When Tapir gets
up in the morning Gordon has already left the apartment, and when Tapir goes to
work the next day Gordon is not in his usual place in the penguin exhibit at
the zoo. When he gets home Gordon’s room is empty and Gordon has left Tapir a
note. Gordon has moved out and found another place to live. This is rather
upsetting for Tapir. He does not want to lose his friend.
Sometimes two
friends are so unalike in their habits that living in the same house becomes a
nightmare. Who is going to compromise? How can they prevent their friendship
from falling apart? Living together can put a strain on even the closest of
friendships.
In this
delightful picture book we meet two animals who, at least as far as their lifestyles
are concerned, are polar opposites. It takes courage for Gordon to find a
solution that works for both animals, a solution that he hopes will save a
relationship that they both care about deeply.
With expressive
artwork and a very minimal text, Sebastian Meschenmoser gives readers a tale
that is funny and sweet. Children will see that a friendship is a precious
thing worth preserving, and sometimes one has to be creative to protect it.
Friday, March 18, 2016
Poetry Friday with a review of Once I ate a pie
People who don't have pets often imagine that one dog is pretty much like another, that the only thing that sets them apart is their appearance. This is not even slightly true. Dogs, like people, have personalities that are distinct. Some are shy, some love attention, some like their own space, and some are happy to spend time anywhere. In today's poetry title you will meet some wonderful dogs, each one of which is different. Their personalities will touch readers, make them smile, and perhaps even make them wish that they too had a dog - if they don't have one already!
Once I ate a pie
Once I ate a pie
Illustrated by Katy Schneider
Poetry Picture Book
For ages 6 and up
HarperCollins, 2006, 978-0-06-073531-9
The dogs that share our lives and our homes all have very
different personalities. Even puppies in the same litter can have completely
different natures, in the same way that human siblings do. In this delightful
collection of free verse poems, the authors introduce readers to seventeen dogs,
who tell their stories in their own delightful voices.
There is Mr.
Beefy, a pug who thinks that he is “beautiful” even if he isn’t exactly “thin.”
He is very honest with us, telling us that he likes to steal tubs of butter off
the table when none of his humans and looking. Once he even stole and ate a
whole pie.
Gus is the kind
of dog who watches his people. He likes to know where they are at all times,
and prefers it when they are in a group, “Like sheep.” When they wander off to
do their own thing, Gus follows to find out if they are “all right,” and then
herds them back to where they belong.
Lucy was a
shelter dog and so she has a rather proprietary air about her. After being
homeless and possession-less for a while, she now takes her new status in life
very seriously. Lucy makes sure that we know that everything in her new home is
hers. Even the people.
Pocket is a
small dog who once was so tiny that she “used to sleep in a coat pocket.” Her
coat, collar, dish, and water bowl are all tiny. She finds the whole situation
rather confusing because she believes that she is “HUGE.”
Tillie and Maude
are sisters, and though they look alike they have very little in common. Tillie
is shy and well behaved, whereas her sister tends to be naughty and she gets
into trouble. The only thing the sisters really have in common is their looks
and the fact that they love one another.
Anyone who has
shared their life with a canine will appreciate this wonderful collection of
poems. There are touches of humor that will make readers smile, and sweet word
images that will delight readers who have a soft spot for dogs.
Labels:
Children's book reviews,
Poetry books,
Poetry Friday
Monday, March 14, 2016
Picture Book Monday with a review of The day the crayons came home
All to often we take the people we rely on the most for granted. It is a natural reaction to have, and yet this does not make it a good one. We need to be grateful for our loved ones. We also need to treasure the things that give us joy; things like our musical instruments, our sports equipment, and our beloved art supplies.
In this book a group of crayons decide that enough is enough and they tell the boy they belong to that his neglect of them is really upsetting and quite unacceptable.
The day the crayons came home
In this book a group of crayons decide that enough is enough and they tell the boy they belong to that his neglect of them is really upsetting and quite unacceptable.
The day the crayons came home
Illustrated by Oliver Jeffers
Picture Book
For ages 5 to 7
Penguin, 2015, 978-0-399-17275-5
One day Duncan and his crayons are enjoying a nice
coloring session when Duncan gets a very odd packet of postcards in the mail.
It turns out that the cards all come from crayons which, for one reason or
another, are no longer in residence in Duncan’s room.
Maroon Crayon is
downstairs, neglected and broken and wants to come home. Pea Green Crayon has
changed his name and is running away. Neon Red Crayon was left behind during a
family vacation and announces that, since Duncan has not seen fit to retrieve
him, he will be walking home. Yellow and Orange are in the garden, melted
together by the sun. One of the brown crayons was eaten by the dog and then
“puked up on the rug.” He is downstairs on the rug and wants to be rescued.
Glow in the Dark Crayon is in the basement.
The rest of the
stories of crayon woe are just too painful to go into further. Suffice it to
say that Duncan has a very large collection of postcards from his very unhappy
crayons and he feels very bad about his poor neglected friends who really did
not deserve being ill-used in such a dreadful way.
In this book children
will have a wonderful time reading the postcards that the crayons in the story send
to their owner. They may even wonder what kinds of postcards their crayons,
markers and colors would send them if they could. Would their art supplies give
them a hard time too?
Monday, March 7, 2016
Picture Book Monday with a review of Last Stop on Market Street
Today's picture book is very special indeed. It won the 2016 Newbery Award, which is very unusual because typically Newbery winners are novels. The story is so universal and powerful that I had to pause after reading it the first time to take in everything. Then I read it again.
Last Stop on Market Street
Matt De La Pena
Illustrated by Christian Robinson
Picture Book
For ages 5 and up
Penguin, 2015, 978-0-399-25774-2
Every Sunday, after church, CJ and his nana get on a bus
and travel across town to Market Street. One Sunday CJ comes out of the church
building and it is raining. He does not feel like going across town in the bus
today. He resents the rain, he resents the fact that he and Nana cannot travel
in a car, he resents the fact that they have to go to the same place after
church every Sunday. In short, CJ is not happy with much of anything at the
moment.
One would think
that Nana would get annoyed by all of CJ’s complaining questions, but she
doesn’t because that is not what Nana is like. Instead, she finds something good
to appreciate in everything that CJ finds annoying. What would happen to the
trees if they did not have rain to water them? If they had a car they would not
get to meet Mr. Dennis the bus driver every Sunday, nor would they see the
interesting characters on the bus. If they did not go to the same place every
Sunday they would get to spend time with “Bobo or the Sunglass Man.”
Then a musician
starts to play on the bus and CJ begins to experience the joy that Nana
understands so well. He begins to understand that sometimes you need to look at
what you do have instead of what you don’t.
This remarkable,
award-winning title explores a simple idea through the eyes of a young child.
Alongside CJ, on that battered bus, and in the dirty streets, we come to
understand that there is beauty everywhere if you know how to look for it.
Friday, March 4, 2016
Poetry Friday with a review of Water Music: Poems for Children
I love water in all its forms. For me, watching waves slap up on a beach is one of the most relaxing things in the world to do, even if it too cold to swim or sunbathe. Just the sound and sight of the moving water is a joy to experience. I think that today's poetry book captures the magic that is water beautifully, and it is a book that children and adults alike will enjoy reading, sharing, and exploring.
Water Music: Poems for Children
Jane Yolen
Photographs by Jason Stemple
Poetry Picture Book
For ages 5 to 7
Wordsong, 2003, 978-1590782514
We often take water for granted, but it is a precious
resource. Water covers more of our planet than land does, and like our planet,
it makes up most of our bodies as well. Without it, life on earth would not be
possible. The amazing thing about water is that it is essential, precious, and also
very beautiful. Whether moving in a stream, resting peacefully in a lake,
crashing as waves on a seashore, or hanging from the eves of houses as long
icicles, it is a joy to look at.
In this
beautifully presented book, Jane Yolen’s poems are paired with her son’s photographs
to celebrate water in all its remarkable forms. We begin near a lake where the
water “is a magic mirror,” which serves to capture an image of the “earth and
sky.” Frozen water appears in the next poem where we see an icicle, which hangs
“like frozen time.” Its colors and shape are so unique that “It is itself a
poem.”
When we turn the
page we leave behind water in its quiet forms, and come to a place where “the
incoming tide / Flings its angry waves upon the shore.” Here the author knows
that there is “no hiding place” from the waves, and so retreats to a place
where the water will no longer be a threat.
In the next poem
Water Jewels, we encounter water as
little droplets sitting on the leaves of weeds. Here water is not in the form
of huge waves of enormous power. Instead, water is a delight, beautiful thing,
“raindrop diadems” that make our world more lovely.
A waterfall
comes next, with words that tip down the page just like the water does in the
accompanying photo. Pulled along by the fast moving water, “Leaves and sticks
and twigs” get carried over the waterfall. The waterfall is a “rumbling,
tumbling, cataracting fool,” which eventually lands in “its own quiet / pool.”
This is a wonderful
book to share with children as it shows them the many forms that water takes.
Sometimes water is peaceful and delicate, while at other times it is strong,
powerful and awe-inspiring. Jane Yolen’s poems take many forms, and children
and their grownups will wonder at the many remarkable ways that she finds to
convey moments, places, and feelings so perfectly.
Labels:
Children's book reviews,
Poetry books,
Poetry Friday
Monday, February 29, 2016
Picture Book Monday with review of What to do with a box
When I was about nine years old my parents had something shipped to our house that arrived in a very large box. I was thrilled when they said that I could have the box, which a friend and I turned into a house, complete with windows and a door that could open. We drew pictures on the wall and kept all our 'treasures' in that house for as long as it lasted. That box was a fantastic gift, and on this Picture Book Monday we celebrate boxes in all their wonderful charboardy glory.
What to do with a box
Jane Yolen
Picture Book
For ages 4 to 7
Creative Editions, 2016, 978-1-5685-46-289-9
When an adult looks at a box he or she sees a container
something that can be used to store things in, or transport things from one
place to another. In short, a box is a tool. A simple object. However, when a
child sees a box he or she sees “a strange device” that can be opened many
times and that offers up endless possibilities.
For one thing, a
box is the perfect place to read a book. It could therefore be called a
“library.” It is a safe place, a cozy “nook” from which to watch the world go
by. These are more practical, down-to-earth uses for a box
If you are
willing to trip down the road into the world of magic and imagination, a box
can become a race car, a plane, a ship that can sail “off to Paris / and back.”
Why, with a box in hand, you will have “the only / such magic / that you’ll /
ever need.”
Ever since cardboard
boxes have been around, children have played in them. Often parents, after
going to a great deal of trouble to find the perfect gift for their child, find
that their little treasure is happy to play with the box that the gift came in.
The gift itself lies on the floor, ignored, while the box is turned into a
house, a space ship, or a fort.
This wonderful
book, with its minimal rhyming text and its gorgeous artwork, is a treasure
that children will love. Grownups too will enjoy tripping down memory lane as
the narrative unfolds, remembering how they too took long journeys and had
grand adventures in boxes when they were children.
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