The Children’s Book Review | February 19, 2019
Being a kid can be tough, but it can be downright miserable if you can’t see clearly. These two adorable books show kids that getting glasses is not only functional for daily life (hello whiteboard!), it can be pretty cool, too. This pair of picture books makes a great set of books perfect for the child getting glasses, or for the classroom. Both are highly recommended.
Written by A.H. Benjamin
Illustrated by Gill McLean
In THE NEARSIGHTED GIRAFFE, young Giraffe can hardly see. She very well knows it, but insists that she would look silly walking around the Savannah in glasses. While out and about, poor Giraffe starts getting hurt – a bop on the head from a low branch, then falling in to a river on accident and plenty more. It’s a downright disaster! She begins piling on protective gear and clothing to keep herself safe. A helmet, heavy boots, and even a pillow strapped to her rear so she won’t sit on anything pointy. How absurd! Her animal friends decide to secretly slip a pair of glasses on her while she’s sleeping, and hope that when she wakes up she’ll realize what she’s been missing. When she awakes and see’s how beautiful she looks with glasses, and how silly her get-up from helmet-to-pillow bum looks instead, she realizes that perhaps her friends were right after all.
With delightful, colorful pictures and hilarious outfits, the Short-Sighted Giraffe is sure to steal children’s hearts and make everyone wants their own pair of glasses.
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Ages 4-8 | Publisher: QEB Publishing | 2016 | ISBN-13: 978-1682970157
Written and Illustrated by Ged Adamson
Douglas is a cool pup with a bit of a problem: he can hardly see a thing! Instead of chasing squirrels, he’s chasing leaves. One time he even went home to the wrong house and family! But what’s a dog to do? When his owner, a little girl named Nancy, takes him to the optometrist, he finds that his new glasses really do help him see the world, and he looks pretty great, too.
Douglas the dog is hilarious with a wry sense of humor children will love. His eye appointment and test will be sure to make everyone laugh. Is that blob a dinosaur, or a squirrel? Is that squiggle a flying saucer, or a car? The sweet pictures at the end of the book featuring real children wearing their glasses is comforting and inclusive, letting those needing or first getting glasses know that it’s awesome to see clearly.
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Ages 3-7 | Publisher: Schwartz and Wade | 2016 | ISBN-13: 9780553522433
*Header image is an illustration from Douglas, You Need Glasses (Schwartz & Wade, 2016)
The book list 2 Adorable Picture Books for Kids Who Wear or Need Glasses was curated by Denise Mealy. For similar articles, follow along with our content tagged with Books About Wearing Glasses, Glasses, and Picture Books.