Welcome to Through the Looking Glass

Welcome to the March and April 2018 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 have 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 do a special feature about saving the environment. Many children are passionate about doing their part to keep Mother Earth beautiful and green. They are often the driving force behind family recycling programs, and children all over the world have created and supported all kinds of environmental organizations and programs. The books in this feature will educate, inspire, and entertain young readers of all ages.

Here in Oregon, spring is making itself felt already, and for many people March and April are the months when they start getting busy in the garden. Spending time in the garden gives children and young people a wonderful opportunity to connect with nature, watch things grow, and – of course – get dirty!

In March,  schools and libraries all over the United States observe  Women’s History Month. This event celebrates the achievements of women over the years, and I have quite a large collection of books in the TTLG Women’s History Month feature. In this feature readers will finds fiction and non-fiction titles that look at the lives and achievements of many great women from around the world.

April is the month when many Americans celebrate Earth Day and Arbor Day. For Earth Day you can look at the Earth Day feature and the Saving the Environment feature. For Arbor Day  I have put together a delightful collection of books that are about trees. Some of the books in these features are informative nonfiction titles, while others are stories that will amuse, touch, and delight readers of all ages.

For this month’s Editor’s Choice title, I have selected  Make the Earth your Companion by J. Patrick Lewis and illustrated by Anna and Elena Balbusson. This stunning picture book explores the relationship that we should have with our planet, and it is the kind of title that readers of all ages will find thought-provoking and inspirational.

In every issue I spotlight a series that I am really enjoying or have enjoyed in the past. For this issue I chose the wonderful Stoker and Holmes Books. In these tales – the third of which I review in this issue of Through the Looking Glass – we meet Evaline Stoker and Mina Holmes. Readers will not be surprised to learn that Evaline is a vampire hunter and that her friend is a detective in the making, but they will be surprised when they see what these two intelligent, skilled, and highly unusual girls get up to in the steampunk world that they live in.

In this issue I have included a book written by Patricia Reilly Giff, who is such a fabulous author that I have decided to feature her on the Author Spotlight page. Patricia has written dozens of wonderful books, many of which have won awards. I am particularly fond of her historical fiction titles, which are always powerful and they so effectively take the reader back in time.

This issue’s award winning title is deliciously funny and perfect for beginner readers. Charlie and Mouse by Laurel Snyder takes us on a series of little adventures with a pair of siblings who have a delightful way of looking at the world.

Finally, take a look at the new Bookish Calendar. Here you will find reviews about Michelangelo, St. Patrick’s Day, Harry Houdini, the sinking of  the Titanic, 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.

-:Bookish Events for March and April:-

March is Women’s History Month (USA)

March 2nd is Read Across America Day (USA)

National March into Literacy Month (USA)

April is National Poetry Month (USA)

April 2nd is International Children’s Book Day

National Library Week April 8th – 14th (USA)

I hope you find a way to celebrate some, if not all,  of these bookish events. If I have missed an important bookish event, please drop me a line to tell me about it.

In September of 2012 I launched a project that I would like to tell you about. It is a story blog  called Talon Diaries, and it was written by a colorful and very unusual character called Gryf. I hope you will come and read Gryf”s blog posts.

For those of you 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. I will also be posting articles and award notices on the TTLG Facebook page throughout the year. Do come and Like the page.

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,