Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
A Friend for Mole
Picture Book
For ages 4 to 6
Peachtree Publishers, 2016 ISBN: 978-1561458653
Mole spends his days and nights underground, and he loves his world, where he can smell the earth, enjoy the “quiet darkness,” and hear the world above going about its business. Then one day he hears a great deal of commotion doing on over his head and he decides to investigate. His curiosity gets the better of him and he digs his way to the surface.
When he steps out of his burrow poor Mole is assaulted by the bright light and the loud sounds of the above ground world. He can barely see where he is going, and cannot find his way home. In a blind panic Mole runs, trips on a tree root, and falls into a bush, where, thankfully, it is dark and quiet.
When Mole wakes up it is nighttime and he soon finds out that he is not alone. Mole is naturally afraid of whoever the other animal is. He is astonished when the other animal tells him that it is afraid of the dark. The dark is one thing Mole is not afraid of. Mole finds out that the other animal is Wolf. Wolf was chased by some animals, he ran away, and now he is lost and scared. Mole is surprised to discover that Wolf is scared too. Perhaps they can help one another in some way.
They say that a problem shared is a problem halved. In this book we see an unlikely pair of animals who find that sharing their fears helps them get through a very difficult time, and in the process they find something special that connects them.
