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.
Sunday, May 8, 2016
Monday, May 2, 2016
Picture Book Monday with a review of Why?
When I was five years old, a civil war broke out in the country that I was living in. Suddenly, and for reasons that I did not understand, people who had lived side-by-side were now killing each other. It was village against village, and neighborhood against neighborhood. To say that my experiences had a profound effect on me is an understatement. To this day I loath violence and hate-filled words.
Today's picture book shows, to great effect, how conflicts can grow out of petty disagreements. It is a book that children and adults alike can connect with.
Why
Today's picture book shows, to great effect, how conflicts can grow out of petty disagreements. It is a book that children and adults alike can connect with.
Why
Nikolai Popov
Picture Book
For ages 5 and up
Minedition, 2016, 978-988-8341-05-4
One day a frog is sitting in a meadow and it picks a
beautiful flower. Having the flower makes the frog very happy, but someone else
is not happy at all. Mouse wants the flower that Frog has picked, and so Mouse
forcibly takes the flower from Frog.
Mouse does not
get to enjoy ownership of the flower for long because soon Frog’s friends
arrive on the scene and they chase off Mouse. The frogs celebrate their
“victory” by gathering up all the flowers in the meadow and they dance around
with joy. Their conquest is short-lived because soon Mouse returns with his
friends. They roll up in an armed boot and chase the Frogs across a bridge,
firing on them.
The mice think
that they have won and that the frogs have been routed, but their victory is
also short-lived because the frogs have a plan in place to give the mice a
taste of their own medicine.
Children often
ask grownups why wars start, and all too often the answer they get is long-winded
and complicated. In this picture book the author shows readers of all ages that
often the reason why people go to war is very simple, and very foolish. One act
of violence begets a violent response, and the conflict escalates. Eventually
both sides look across a scene of desolation and unspeakable loss and they
cannot, for the life of them, understand how things got so bad.
There is a
message in this tale, a powerful message, that readers of all ages will
appreciate and hopefully carry with them. They will see that responding to a
problem with violence is never the answer.
Friday, April 29, 2016
Poetry Friday with a review of Snuggle up with Mother Goose
I wonder how many people have read or sung the Mother Goose rhymes to their children. Many thousands I am sure. The interesting thing is that though the world has changed so much since they were written, there is something timeless about the wonderful little rhymes. Today's poetry title is a board book which contains sixteen nursery rhymes that have been lovingly illustrated by Rosemary Wells.
Snuggle up with Mother Goose
Snuggle up with Mother Goose
Edited By Iona Opie
Illustrated by Rosemary Wells
Poetry Board Book
For ages 1 to 4
Candlewick
Press, 2015, 978-0-7636-7867-8
The
sun is up and it is time to wake up and get going for there are “Peas in the
pot and a hoe-cake baking,” and soon we will start our day.
We need to brush our hair and warm our hands
by the fire. Some of the men “are gone to plow” while others have gone to sea
in a boat and maybe, in the evening, children will have “a fish / In a little
dishy / When the boat comes in.” For those who stay at home there are dishes to
wash and wipe, and tea that has to be made.
In this wonderful board book, Iona Opie has
brought together sixteen nursery rhymes that carry us through a day from sun up
to sunset. Some of them gentle and soothing, others are funny and sweet. The
lines of verse celebrate the beauty of the written word, and introduce babies
and little children to some of the gems in the English language that were
written just for them.Poetry Friday with a review of Jumping off the library shelves: A book of Poems
I love libraries! When I was a child I would go to the local British Council library to spend an hour or so browsing the shelves. I would leave weighted down with a huge stack of books. I read about everything and anything. Except subjects that required me to do any kind of maths!
Today's picture book celebrates libraries and the joy of reading, and it is a delight.
Jumping off the library shelves: A book of Poems
Selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins
Illustrated by Jane Manning
Poetry Picture Book
For ages 5 to 7
Boyds Mills Press, 2015, 978-1-59078-924-7
A library is a special place. Some people think it is ‘just’ a repository for books, a storage place perhaps, but they are wrong. Thanks to the books in a library, people can find information, they can travel to distant lands, and have grand adventures. They can take a break from the world, and spend some quiet time immersed in wonderful words.
For this marvelous salute to libraries, Lee Bennet Hopkins has brought together poems written by a wonderful selection of poets. On the pages of this book we will meet children for whom their library is a special place. With their library cards in hand - the card that is “more powerful” than a cell phone, a TV remote, or a hundred apps - children find treasures that invite them “to explore” and “to dream.”
To help young readers in their search for a good read, there is the librarian who, by some magical ability, is always able to help a child find “the perfect book.” Somehow the librarian is able to read a child, like words on a page, and know what he or she needs.
The library is also a place where you will find storytellers who are able to make “words / leap from pages,” as they read out loud. With the storyteller for company, children make friends with frog and toad and they “walk / down a / yellow brick road.” During their storytimes they are able to believe in “once-upon-a-time” and “happily ever after.”
There is something for everyone in a library. On the shelves there are dictionaries, books of poetry, fairy tales and so much more. And when night falls and all the people have left the library, other little beings come out to partake of the library’s treasures.
This wonderful collection of poems take us into the world of libraries. We enter the library as “Morning pours spoons of sun” onto the shelves, and then leave when “night falls / outside / a / window.” As we close the book we are left with a comfortable feeling, and a yearning to visit our local library where book wonders await us.
Labels:
Children's book reviews,
Poetry books,
Poetry Friday
Monday, April 25, 2016
Picture Book Monday with a review of Beekle The Unimaginary Friend
Many children have imaginary friends, and sometimes we encounter such children in stories or films. We smile as they communicate with their invisible companions, who are often blamed when something untoward happens. In today's picture book story the focus, for a change, is on the imaginary friend instead of the child. On the pages meet an imaginary friend who needs one thing to make his life complete.
Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend
Picture Book
For ages 4 to 6
Little Brown, 2014, 978-0-316-19998-8
Beekle was born on an island where all the world’s
imaginary friends come into being. The imaginary friends wait and look forward
to the day when a child somewhere will imagine them, and then pick them to be
their own. Beekle waits and waits, but no one imagines him and “his turn” never
comes.
Eventually, Beekle feels that he has waited long enough,
and so he decides to seek out his friend rather than waiting to be imagined.
The journey is a
long one and it is full of “many scary things,” but the hope of finding his
friend gives Beekle courage and finally he comes to the real world, which is a
very strange place. Then, while he is standing on a sidewalk in a big city,
surrounded by the legs of big people, Beekle sees an imaginary friend go by
whom he follows. Soon he is a playground full of children and their imaginary
friends, a wonderful place where surely he will find his friend. Or maybe not.
It is hard not
to fall in love with the main character in this story. His persistence and
courage is inspiring, and one cannot help feeling a deep connection with the
little, white imaginary friend who dares to do “the unimaginable.”Friday, April 22, 2016
Poetry Friday with a review of Mother Goose’s Pajama Party
For many parents the Mother Goose nursery rhymes are the first poems that they explore with their children. Over time Little Miss Muffet, the cow that jumped over the moon, and Wee Willie Winkie all become members of the family. In today's poetry title these characters and others from the Mother Goose rhymes come together to attend a special event hosted by none other than Mother Goose herself!
Mother Goose’s Pajama Party
Mother Goose’s Pajama Party
Danna Smith
Illustrated by Virginia Allyn
Poetry Picture Book
For ages 4 to 6
Random House, 2015, 978-0-553-49756-4
One night Mother Goose flies out into the night sky on
the back of her goose companion. In sparkles she leaves a message in the
starlit sky inviting her friends to come to her house at half past eight for a
story time.
The moon is the
first to see the message and she shows it to the cow, who then goes on to tell
Dish who passes on what she has been told to Spoon. Spoon then tells Cats about
the invitation and Cat, being the musician that he is, “fiddled a tune.”
Mother Goose’s
invitation is passed on from character to character, from Jack-a-Dandy to Wee
Willie Winkie, and from Georgie Porgie to Little Bo-Peep. Finally Nimble Jack,
with his candlestick, leads the way to Mother Goose’s house with all the other
nursery rhyme characters following him. Along the way they collect the crooked
man and the cooked mouse and they walk along “the final crooked mile,” until
they come to Mother Goose’s door promptly at eight o’clock.
What follows is
a wonderful evening that is full of treats that the guests and the hostess
alike enjoy.
Written in
wonderful rhyming verse, this picture book brings together some of the most
well-known nursery rhyme characters, who take little children on a memorable
bookish adventure that is full of joy, warmth, and finally comfort.
At the back of
the book children will find the fifteen nursery rhymes that feature the
characters that they met in the book. Monday, April 18, 2016
Picture Book Monday with a review of the Night Gardener
Many people think that 'art' has to fit into one of three categories. It has to be a piece of music, a painting or a drawing, or a sculpture. However, there are other forms of art that might not fit into one of these pigeon holes. What about a piece of furniture or a quilt? What about a basket or a glass vase? What about a wrought iron gate or a musical instrument? What about a tree or shrub that has been clipped and clipped until it looks like an animal or some lovely shape? All of these things are also works of art, and all of them can, and do, enrich out lives.
In this picture book we see how a topiary artist manages, one topiary at a time, to bring beauty to the lives of people who so desperately need something in their world that will uplift them.
In this picture book we see how a topiary artist manages, one topiary at a time, to bring beauty to the lives of people who so desperately need something in their world that will uplift them.
Terry and Eric Fan
Picture Book
For ages 6 and up
Simon and Schuster, 2016, 978-1-4814-3978-7
Grimloch Lane is a rather sad place. The homes are
ramshackle, weeds grow up through cracks in the sidewalk, and the people who
live there don’t really connect with one another. One night, while everyone in
the lane is asleep, a man gets to work on one of the trees that stands outside
the Grimloch Orphanage.
When William
looks out his window in the morning he sees that something is going on outside
so he goes to investigate. What he discovers is that someone has clipped a tree
next to the orphanage so that it looks like a beautiful owl. William is entranced
by the topiary owl and he gazes at it all day long. When he goes to sleep that
night he does so “with a sense of excitement.”
The following
morning another tree on Grimoloch Lane has been turned into a work of art. This
time the topiary makes the tree look like a cat at rest.
Each day a new topiary appears, and now the
people living in Grimloch Lane have something to look forward to. They gather
to admire their beautiful topiaries and “Something good” starts to happen to
everyone who sees the special trees.
We tend to think
that real change can only happen when something really big happens, but
sometimes change can come about when a little piece of magic is added to our
lives. As the story in this book unfolds, we see how the introduction of beauty
affects the people who live in a place that has so little beauty and happiness
to offer. Best of all, the instrument of change is not someone who is rich and
powerful, instead he is a humble person who just happens to have a gift for
turning already lovely trees into gorgeous works of art.Friday, April 15, 2016
Poetry Friday with a review of Cats Vanish Slowly
Cats are singular creatures. They are not as easy to understand as dogs, but once you develop a relationship with a cat you will soon see how much that relationship enriches your life. Today's poetry book introduces you to some colorful cat characters, and the poems also explore the ways in which those cats enhance the lives of the humans that they share their lives with.
Cats Vanish Slowly
Ruth Tiller
Illustrated by Laura Seeley
Poetry Picture Book
For ages 6 and up
Peachtree Publishers, 1995, 978-1561451067
Many cats live on Grandmother’s farm and she knows each
and every one of them. Grandmother does not care if her cats are beautiful or
“scrawny.” She does not care if they have too many toes, or if they are tailless.
All the cats are welcome in her home and all of them are loved.
One of the best
things about visiting Grandmother’s house is that there is always a cat there
that is happy to be cuddled. If you have had a bad day, one dotted with
scoldings and breakages, dullness or loneliness, then all you need to do is to visit
Grandmother and hold an “affable cat.” With every purr and soft snuggle you
will find “every bliss.”
One day a
little, grey tabby cat arrived on the farm and she “graciously offered to
stay.” The cat is loved by everyone and is soon very much at home. It is
decided that the cat will be called Cougar, even though she is about as un-cougar-like
as a cat can get. She is loving and sweet, playful and gentle. There are times
though, when she is fast asleep, when perhaps, for a moment, she seems to live
up to her name.
B.P is nothing
like sweet, easy-going Cougar. He is a troublemaker, “a criminal cat,” who
steals food, climbs the porch screen, and pulls clean washing off the line.
When someone asks Grandmother if she has any cats available for adoption she offers
up B.P. Six times the cat is taken to a new home, and six times he comes back
to the farm. Like a “Bad Penny” the cat always “rolls back home.”
Grandmother
lives with her sister and the two old ladies are as “different as sugar and
salt.” One likes to grow flowers, while the other likes to plant vegetables.
One loves to write poetry, while the other prefers to make pies or to cut back
weeds. Though they are as “different as ribbon and string,” both ladies have a
soft spot for cats. One stormy night the two of them together gather up three
“half-wild” kittens and bring them into the warmth and shelter of their home.
This wonderful
book serves as a tribute both to cats, and to the people who take them in and
care for them. We meet a variety of cat personalities on the pages, and we also
come to appreciate how special Grandmother is and how much of a haven she has
created on her farm for felines, and for children who love felines.
Throughout this
book the author’s poems are paired with beautiful paintings that perfectly
capture the cats described in the text.
Labels:
Children's book reviews,
Poetry books,
Poetry Friday
Friday, April 8, 2016
Poetry Friday with a review of Boris
I used to be more of a dog person than a cat person, but then I adopted Katie, a tiny black and white kitten, who had been literally thrown away. Katie, who never weighed more than five pounds, taught me to appreciate the true nature of cats. Despite her rough start in life, she was loyal, strong-willed, sensitive, and loving, and I am grateful that she was part of my life for more than a decade. Though she was very small and not very strong, Katie never let anything get her down. She was an inspiration.
Today's poetry title explore one woman's relationship with her cat Boris, and through her narrative we get see how Boris shaped her life and how he helped her understand herself better.
Boris
Cynthia Rylant
For ages 14 and up
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2006, 0-15-205809-5
Not that long ago her last cat died, and she decided that
she would not be getting any more cats. She would be a dog person from here on
out and spare herself all the trials and tribulations that come with cat
ownership. No more hairballs, no more worrying that the cat has been eaten by a
coyote, and no more “howling, spitting fights.” No, cats will no longer be a
part of her life.
Then the local
shelter puts a storefront in town and she has to walk past that storefront
every day; she has to see the cats sitting in the window, all of whom so badly
want a home. She holds out for two months and then she goes into the store. She
says that she will get one female cat “and no more.”
Not long after,
she walks out of the store with two cats, a male and female. The cats are
siblings and she could not bear to separate them. The male is Boris, a
beautiful grey fellow who in his own quiet way promises that he will “be good.”
It isn’t long
before Boris is a member of the family. The dogs accept him and when they go
too far they get a swat across the nose to keep them in line. Of course it also
isn’t long before she is worrying that the eagles might try to harm Boris. She
asks him to never “stand on a beach / beneath them,” for surely if he does they
will be measuring and assessing him to determine if he is too big and heavy
from them to carry him off.
Boris is full of
surprises. She knows that his former name was Hunter and imagines at first that
it is a “designer-label sort of / name.” It turns out that Hunter was not some
preppy name at all. The name describes what Boris is. He is a hunter and soon
he is bringing her all kinds of furry and feathered gifts.
When a new cat
moves in next door she is sure that Boris is going to take grave exception to
the cat using the next-door deck that he has claimed as his own. She full
expects to see fur flying, and yet this is not what happens at all. Boris takes
the newcomer in hand, adopting him and treating him like a little brother who
needs someone to show him what is what.
This magnanimity
is not offered to an elderly cat that Boris and his owner meet when they are
out one day. This time the hunter in Boris comes to the fore and he bowls over
the poor old fellow without a thought. She is embarrassed, and the encounter
gets her thinking about aging and what waits for them both in the future. Will
they two be like the old cat who dared to walk on Boris’ path? Will they two
stand against younger whippersnappers who try to bully them?
In this
remarkable book, nineteen free verse poems take us into the world of the
narrator and her cat. Through her interaction with Boris we find out about her
own fears, worries and insecurities. We laugh with her as Boris watches, and
bats at, birds that he sees on the TV screen. We laugh too when she describes
how much she enjoys playing “spinnies” with her cat companion. Her pain is
tangible as she tells us what it was like when Boris went missing for ten days,
and we understand why she worries about moving to a new house that Boris might
not approve of. Being owned by a cat is not for the faint of heart, but the
experience teaches us a lot about ourselves, and through our cats we learn a
great deal about love, patience, and compassion.
Labels:
Children's book reviews,
Poetry books,
Poetry Friday
Monday, April 4, 2016
Picture Book Monday with a review of Over-scheduled Andrew
I think it is fair to say that these days many people have lives that are perhaps a little too full. They feel as if they are running on a treadmill, desperately trying to keep up, and to do all the things that are written on their to do lists. Adults are not the only ones who have this problem. Sometimes children find themselves struggling with a schedule that asks just too much of them.
Over-scheduled Andrew
Ashley Spires
Picture Book
For ages 5 to 7
Tundra Press, 2016, 978-177049-484-8
Andrew loves to perform in plays, and so he decides to join the school drama club so that he can “wear costumes and perform on a real stage.” Andrew’s best friend, Edie, helps him learn his lines as they walk home from school together. Sometimes they end up climbing a tree or playing a game along the way and that’s always fun.
Though Andrew is a natural when it comes to acting, his drama teacher suggests that he try public speaking so that he can learn how to project his voice more. Andrew joins the debating team so that he can work on making his voice stronger. It turns out that Andrew is so good at debating that his friend Calvin suggests that he join the chess club.
When Andrew has a hard time keeping up during the dance routines when he is rehearsing, he decides that what he needs to do is to “improve his coordination,” so he attends ballet and karate classes.
Somehow Andrew then finds himself joining the tennis team, working on the school paper, and learning how to play the bagpipes. He joins the French film club, takes singing lessons, and signs up for Spanish lessons because knowing another language is “just plain useful.” Up until now Andrew has been able to manage his extremely full schedule, but now he hits a wall. Andrew is just doing too many things.
Many people over-schedule their lives. They fill every spare minute with an activity of some kind until they barely have time to eat or sleep. They cannot have a social life and are constantly running from activity to activity.
With humor and sensitivity Ashley Spires (who brought us the graphic novels about Binky the cat) shows us how a young owl’s life turns into a nightmare when he takes on too many activities. Everything Andrew does is important and interesting, but together they are just too much. Children, and their grownups, will enjoy seeing how Andrew solves his problem and how he finds a schedule that works for him.
Over-scheduled Andrew
Ashley Spires
Picture Book
For ages 5 to 7
Tundra Press, 2016, 978-177049-484-8
Andrew loves to perform in plays, and so he decides to join the school drama club so that he can “wear costumes and perform on a real stage.” Andrew’s best friend, Edie, helps him learn his lines as they walk home from school together. Sometimes they end up climbing a tree or playing a game along the way and that’s always fun.
Though Andrew is a natural when it comes to acting, his drama teacher suggests that he try public speaking so that he can learn how to project his voice more. Andrew joins the debating team so that he can work on making his voice stronger. It turns out that Andrew is so good at debating that his friend Calvin suggests that he join the chess club.
When Andrew has a hard time keeping up during the dance routines when he is rehearsing, he decides that what he needs to do is to “improve his coordination,” so he attends ballet and karate classes.
Somehow Andrew then finds himself joining the tennis team, working on the school paper, and learning how to play the bagpipes. He joins the French film club, takes singing lessons, and signs up for Spanish lessons because knowing another language is “just plain useful.” Up until now Andrew has been able to manage his extremely full schedule, but now he hits a wall. Andrew is just doing too many things.
Many people over-schedule their lives. They fill every spare minute with an activity of some kind until they barely have time to eat or sleep. They cannot have a social life and are constantly running from activity to activity.
With humor and sensitivity Ashley Spires (who brought us the graphic novels about Binky the cat) shows us how a young owl’s life turns into a nightmare when he takes on too many activities. Everything Andrew does is important and interesting, but together they are just too much. Children, and their grownups, will enjoy seeing how Andrew solves his problem and how he finds a schedule that works for him.
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