Through the Looking Glass

by Maddy Smith

Ah, February—a month filled with the oddest juxtapositions, from sunny days amidst freezing cold weeks to snowdrops surrounded by snowflakes. When winter has started to lose its romance and spring seems all too distant. What better time to reconnect with some familiar (or unfamiliar) classics, and what better place to begin than with the Looking Glass Library? Published by Random House in 2010, these charming (and affordable!) hardcovers are well bound, printed on fine-quality paper, and feature some of the best of the uncommon classics of the last 150 years. Featuring the original illustrations from the earliest editions and new introductions from some of today’s most popular writers, these marvellous, pocket-sized books allow us to step Alice-like through the Looking Glass and into a world of our imagining.

An excellent place to begin such a journey would be by imagining yourself living in a small, comfortable castle tucked away in a mountain, with a nursery painted like the night sky, and secret passages waiting to be discovered. Once you’ve done that, you’re well on your way to the world of Princess Irene, in George MacDonald’s timeless tale, The Princess and the Goblin. Gentle, kind and courageous, Irene lives happily in her mountain home, until she discovers that deep within the mountains, the evil Goblin Queen and her wicked son are working to undermine Irene’s kingdom and take it for themselves. But Irene is not about to give in without a fight, and she has help: the mysterious, silver-haired lady who lives in a secret room in the castle, which cannot always be found; and Curdie, a brave, adventurous boy who knows the mountain mines better than almost anyone. Together, Irene and Curdie set off on a daring adventure filled with danger, magic and music. For music, as we all know, is abhorrent to goblins. Exciting, enchanting and fun, The Princess and the Goblin is everything you could wish for in a fairy-story. For ages 9+.

Talking of fairy-stories takes us to the next book in the Looking Glass Library Series: Twilight Land, a collection of magical tales deftly woven by Howard Pyle, famous for his Merry Adventures of Robin Hood, in which the fairy-stories themselves come to life in a unique and wonderful way. Twilight Land, where dusk falls softly and sweetly, is the home of these stories. At the Mother Goose Inn, the greatest story tellers in the world have gathered to share their tales, one at a time, over the course of a magical night. A delightful introduction to classic folklore and legend, Twilight Land should be shared at bedtime by all those who love to be read to, from ages 8+.

Of course, once you’ve begun to delve into the delightful world of short stories, you simply must try master storyteller Edith Nesbit’s The Book of Dragons. Beginning with “The Book of Beasts,” about a small boy named Lionel who becomes King and accidently sets a dragon on his new subjects, and carrying on through a wonderful miscellany of stories starring brave, intelligent children and sundry adults (including such figures as the famous St. George), Nesbit explores the enchanting world of the dragon in its many shapes and forms.

From there it’s just a hop, skip and a jump to another of Nesbit’s masterpieces, Five Children and It, in which a group of children discover the last of the Psammeads, an ancient, powerful, bad-tempered “sand fairy” who lives in a gravel pit and, somewhat reluctantly, grants wishes. Here begins a summer of magic and mayhem—for wishes are tricky things, and can very often go awry. Either or both of Nesbit’s books would be a wonderful treat for 9+ (or as a read-aloud for everyone from 7 upwards).

One simply cannot discuss things ancient and mythological without mentioning Padraic Colum’s excellent retelling of the legend of the great hero Jason: The Golden Fleece and the Heroes who Lived Before Achilles. Featuring an introduction by that ambassador of Greek mythology, Rick Riordan, and opening with the story of Jason’s origins, The Golden Fleece is a perfect choice for anyone who harbours a love of heroes—for these are the heroes that started it all. This is a great read for 10+.

Whether you wish to take part in a classical quest, wander dusky and magical pathways, sing away danger or travel with an Ice Dragon, the Looking Glass Libraries are your doorway into adventure and discovery. Pick one up during this quixotic and fanciful month, and see where your imagination takes you.

Maddy Smith is a children’s bookseller and an Islander born and bred; she reads, writes, and believes in the magic of a great book.