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.

Fancy Nancy and the Late, Late, LATE Night

• About the Book

Fancy Nancy and the Late, Late, LATE Night

by Jane O'Connor

Illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser (cover) 

and Carolyn Bracken (interior)
HarperFestival
Copyright 2010

In my quest to find a relatively inexpensive, teachable book, I give you Fancy Nancy and the Late, Late, LATE Night.  Nancy is an elementary-aged, spunky redhead with a imaginative personality and creative style (she wears flowers in her hair, flowers everywhere).  Illustrators Robin Preiss Glasser and Carolyn Bracken's detailed pictures are a feast for young eyes and will undoubtedly bring Nancy's world off the pages of this picture book and right into the imaginations of its readers.  Nancy is by all means, a girly-girl, which will appeal to girly-girl readers, however, it is the humor in Nancy's voice that author Jane O'Connor creates that will likely interest more than just one type of girl.

In this charming, witty, and clever story geared toward girls ages 3-7, Nancy is captivated by her equally fancy and girly neighbor, Mrs. Devine, and her life as a child living in Hollywood.  Mrs. Devine keeps a scrapbook of celebrity autographs which she gives Nancy special permission to take it home with her for one night.  Unfortunately, it is bedtime before Nancy even has a chance to investigate the scrapbook.  Against the instruction of her parents, and regardless of the spelling test she has the next day, Nancy sneaks the scrapbook under her covers and stays up way past bedtime to look at it.  The next day at school, Nancy is too tired to concentrate on her spelling test and makes many careless errors.  She returns the scrapbook to Mrs. Devine and realizes the consequences of her choices.  Nancy now knows that a good night's sleep is what is important to not have such a "terrible and exhausting day."

• I Spy from a Counseling/Educational Perspective: Vocabulary Development & Making Right Choices

There are two key highlights in Late, Late, LATE Night that I find appealing for young readers and listeners.  The first is that O'Connor utilizes Nancy's unique style and personality to introduce a broader vocabulary for children.  Nancy is constantly injecting French into her conversations and using "fancier" words.

Under the covers, I have concealed -
that's fancy for hidden -
a flashlight and a scrapbook.

On Saturday I wake up feeling glorious again.
(Glorious is fancy for wonderful.)

The second highlight is that the storyline includes a simple lesson about making right choices.  Children learn that Nancy's choice to not follow her parents rules by staying up late had the consequences of being tired, doing poorly on a spelling test, and not having fun at school.  It is important to start talking about and working with children on decision-making skills at a young age.  Initially, children in Pre-K-3 learn about choices and consequences through such areas as the following and breaking of rules, social behavior, and working in groups.  As children mature and become more independent, they can begin to predict what the outcomes of certain choices may be.  Older elementary-aged children (8-10) begin to think outside of themselves and begin to consider questions like:

1. What will my parents and people I respect say about my choice?
2. Will my choice hurt anyone, including myself?
3. What do my heart and conscience tell me?
4. How will I feel about myself later?

The staying-up-too-late lesson in Nancy's story is a stepping stone for discussion with children on the topic of making right choices.

O'Connor and Glasser's Fancy Nancy series is already a major hit among many young readers and their parents.  However, this 2010 release is the first Fancy Nancy book that have I have picked up and read, and it sparks my interest to read more.

• I Spy, More!

• The Fancy Nancy Books website - includes a fun application to "Become a Poet Extraordinaire: Create Your Own Word Lib" - a game of choosing nouns, plural nouns, adjectives, and verbs.
• Fancy Nancy's Read Together Activities (pdf) - includes a "fill-in-the-blank" creative vocabulary activity!
• The 3 R's of Growing Up Lesson for grades 5-9 (I have introduced the "Choose to Do the Right Thing" guidelines in 4th grade)

• { just a thought }

Children's books can be expensive!  For a family on a budget, it's hard to rationalize spending sixteen dollars on a book that your son or daughter seems to be drawn to in the store, but not so enthused with at home.  I find myself in book stores with my young daughter just struggling to look through the selections thoroughly due to the alternating levels of her patience barometer. Have you ever picked out a book, browsed it, purchased it, and got home to find that its catchy, captivating title didn't reflect its content?  That's me!  There is so much out there in the world of kid lit (the good, the bad, and the ugly), but sometimes the quantity of choices can be dizzying.  Word of mouth and reading blogs are great ways to learn about the books your child may choose to read over and over again.  After reviewing books for such a short time, I value the existence of school and local libraries so much more, as well as the ability to conduct online research in order to explore and discover the books that I want to invest in.