Glasses (Who Needs 'Em?)

 

• About the Book

Glasses (Who Needs 'Em?)

Written and illustrated by Lane Smith

Viking Penguin

Copyright 1991

Chosen as the 1995 Parents' Choice Award for Paperback Book, Lane Smith's Glasses (Who Needs 'Em?) is a quirky, smart, and creative take on the age-old "you need glasses" dilemma with children.  Personally, I remember getting my first pair in 6th grade, and by then, I was happier to know that I could see better and less concerned with appearance.  However, for kids ages 5-9, Smith's picture book puts a rather interesting spin on the worry of "looking a little different."

The book is written as a conversation between a young boy and his eccentric doctor.  Donned in a white lab coat, the doctor tries to convince the boy of all the "folks [who] wear glasses and "love 'em."  The problem is that the boy isn't so easily convinced, and when his doctor says "Why even entire planets wear glasses!" the boy is pretty certain that his doctor has lost his marbles.  However, along with the young boy's doubt, his imagination begins to take off.

"Do little green men wear glasses?"
"Do pink elephants?"
"Do Hong-Kong-Flu bugs?"

The boy's imagination for glasses wearers is just what the zany doctor ordered.  The doc responds:
"YES! YES! YES!"

At the end of the book, the boy is so frustrated with the doctor's insistence that all of these unbelievable things wear glasses, that he starts to leave the room.  Yet, before he is able to do so, the doctor places glasses on the boys eyes and to his amazement, all of the spectacle wearing people and creatures they have conjured up appear before his eyes!  In a state of rigid acceptance, the young boys finally complies: "The gold-wire rims will be just fine."

I have used the words quirky, zany, and eccentric to describe the character of the doctor and I will use the same adjectives to describe Lane Smith's illustrations.  They are not the typical blooming, whimsical children's picture book drawings that one might expect.  No, not at all.  Smith's illustrations are abstract, blurred, and distorted.  They are also imaginative, different, and help to create the young boy's feeling of torment at the prospect of altering his appearance and "looking like a dork." 

• I Spy from a Writing Perspective: What the Dialogue Creates

Author Lane Smith's conversational writing style is a positive feature of this book.  The personalities that develop from the voices of both the young boy and the doctor come so alive that their dialogue can easily be acted out by adult readers for young ears.  The dialogue reads quickly and fluidly from page to page, and the back and forth between the two characters is outlandishly amusing and entertaining.  The boy begins to play the macho "I-know-more-than-you" role of a child who does not want to be vulnerable to the idea of wearing the glasses.  The doctor can be described as one who would be found more in a science lab doing wacky experiments than in an eye doctor's office.  Yet, his voice is essential to the creative quirky elements that make Glasses (Who Needs 'Em?) unique and appealing.

• I Spy from a School Counseling/Educational Perspective: Helping Kids Gain Comfort with Change

Inevitably, children face many physical, emotional, and social changes as they grow and mature.  Many of those changes require adaptations in order for children to continue on successful paths.  Those changes can be as complex as modifying home and educational settings for a developed learning disability or simply, getting glasses for a vision issue.  Yet, no matter the level of change that may occur, it is helpful for children to learn and to know that they are not alone - that many of their peers also need tools and strategies to help them listen better, remember more, make better friends, and in the case of Glasses (Who Needs 'Em), to see clearer.  Moreover, explaining to a child that having the tools and the knowledge about what helps him or her at a young age is a gift for life.  In working with a child's peers, implementing lessons that involve learning about and understanding the differences of others can create an positive and supportive climate in the classroom.

It is also helpful for children to feel some sense of control over their changing situations.  In the case of getting glasses, giving a child the choice of frame style and color can help him feel like he has a stake in the decision-making process.  In working with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) students who are experiencing changes in the classroom, it is imperative that the tools they use are discussed and practiced one-on-one with them, whether they be a seating position in the classroom during independent work time, or a manipulative to help them maintain focus.  Change in any small form can feel like a BIG issue to children, so discussing the comfortable things in their lives that will remain the same may also ease any worry.  Remembering that children are individuals and thus, one child may feel excited about wearing glasses, while another one may feel apprehensive is helpful to keep in mind.  Glasses (Who Needs 'Em) may not convince your child to skip out of the doctor's office with a pair of specs, but it just might plant a seed of acceptance that if you water well, will grow.

• I Spy, More!
• Lane Smith Books
• Lane Smith Interview
• Change is Strange: Personalized and non-personalized books on the changes of moving, new baby, first day of school, etc. for young children.
• My Travelin' Eye by Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw - Picture book on the eye condition called strabismus.