Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
The book book
Nonfiction
For ages 9 to 12
Tara Books, 1995 ISBN: 978-8186211243
Most children, at some point, express an interest in creating a book of their own. In this title the author shares her love of books and her love of making books with her audience. She begins by inviting her audience to join her on a "treasure hunt." The idea is to look around the house to find things that you night want to use to decorate and illustrate your book.
To begin with the author suggests that you look in your pencil case. This everyday item is full of things that you can use in creative ways. Who thought that simple pencil dust could be such versatile material! Paper clips can be bent into many different shapes to add depth to a picture. And in the kitchen beans, rice, and pasta shapes offer up all kinds of possibilities. Using her example illustrations, the author shows her readers how everyday objects can be used to create pictures and multimedia collages.
After she has fully explored the "treasures" that can be used to illustrate a book, the author moves on to talk about the writing side of things. With great skill and an obvious appreciation for how hard it can be to sit down and write something, Sophie Benini Pietromarchi helps her readers find a subject and a voice that suits them by asking the right questions and by encouraging young writers to explore all avenues. She helps them with character development, the plot, and much more. She also helps her readers to plan their book, illustrate it, and put it together.
Though this book was written for children, adults who want to get into the book world will also find it very insightful and useful. With humor, wonderful artwork, and an obvious love for books of all kinds, Sophie Benini Pietromarchi delivers a unique and discerning book.
