Welcome to Through the Looking Glass
Welcome to the July and August 2014 issue of Through the Looking Glass Children’s Book Reviews. I have put together a wonderful collection of reviews for you for this issue, and I hope you enjoy reading the reviews as much as I enjoyed writing them.
As always, the books reviewed on TTLG are carefully chosen by the editor. We only review books that suit the scope of TTLG, and that we feel have something to offer readers. Therefore, all our reviews are positive ones. We hope this will help you to find excellent books for the young people in your lives. If you are looking for books for yourself, we hope you will find books that you will enjoy reading. Please consider buying books through this website. Your purchases help to support our work, and give us the means to improve this online resource.
For this issue I have chosen to focus on books about Dragons. I have always had a soft spot for dragons. Ever since I read Kenneth Grahame’s The Reluctant Dragon I have been drawn to books that feature these splendid and often magical creatures. Some of the dragon books in this collection feature dragons that are fierce and dangerous, while others contain dragon characters who are friendly and lovable. The books in this feature will suit readers of all ages because there are board books, novelty books, picture books, beginner readers, and novels.
In July and August most schools are closed for the summer vacation, and children all over the world get ready to enjoy family holidays, days at camp, and many other summer activities. When I was growing up, we would escape the heat of town by going into the mountains for a few weeks, or we would camp at the seaside. These camping trips were wonderful, and I still remember the hours I spent snorkeling, looking for pretty stones on the beach, and watching the fishing boats chug past. You will find a large collection of books about going to the beach on the Days at the beach page.
For this month’s Editor’s Choice title, I have selected Hank Finds an Egg by Rebecca Dudley. This delightful wordless picture book will charm readers of all ages.
Finally, take a look at the Bookish Calendar page for book reviews about Henry David Thoreau, volcanoes, the moon landing, Amelia Earhart, and much more. This calendar is a great tool to use at home and in the classroom to help children incorporate books more fully into their lives.
Not long ago I launched a new project that I would like to tell you about. It is a story blog called Talon Diaries, and it is written by a colorful and very unusual character who is called Gryf. Gryf ‘s story posts appear every Wednesday. Do take a look and subscribe to the blog.
For those of you who don’t already know, I also publish a blog about children’s books and the children’s book world. On the blog I post reviews, interviews with great authors and illustrators, I offer book giveaways, and I tell you about interesting contests and bookish events. Do visit the blog and sign up for the feed. In the coming year, I will be posting new picture book reviews on Mondays and poetry book reviews on Fridays.
Some of the titles I reviewed several years ago are now out of print. Though you cannot buy these books in every bookshop, many of them are still available for purchase on websites like Amazon.com.
I hope you enjoy this new issue, and I look forward to hearing from you.
All the best,