Douglas, You Need Glasses!

by Ged Adamson, Ged Adamson (Illustrator)

Overview

Meet Douglas, a dog with a big problem: he needs eyeglasses but doesn’t know it, and his bad eyesight tends to land him in some pretty hairy situations.
 
Readers will laugh along with the new picture book character Douglas as he chases a leaf that he mistakes for a squirrel, walks through wet cement because he can’t see the warning sign, and annoys the neighbor’s dog by mistakenly eating out of his bowl. And when Douglas’s owner Nancy finally takes him to what is clearly an eyeglass store and Douglas asks, “Why are you taking me to a shoe store?” everyone will be giggling.
 
After an eye exam confirms that Douglas needs glasses, and Nancy helps him find the perfect pair, readers will rejoice with Douglas as he sees all the amazing things he’s been missing!
 
Both kids and parents will laugh out loud—and may even recognize themselves!—while reading this utterly irresistible, hilarious picture book.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780553522433
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	05/17/2016
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	674,257
Product dimensions:	8.60(w) x 11.10(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD440L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Ged Adamson has had poor eyesight since he was young. He still remembers the moment he realized he needed glasses: on a trip to the countryside, his dad said, “Look at all the rabbits on that hillside.” Ged said, “Wow,” but actually he couldn’t see a single rabbit. Ged has worked as a cartoonist, storyboard artist, and music composer. It was always his ambition to write and illustrate picture books. He lives in Greenwich, London, with his family. Learn more at gedadamson.com.

Editorial Reviews

05/01/2016
PreS-Gr 2—Douglas is a lovable little dog whose nearsightedness often gets him into trouble. He is unable to see important things like signs and squirrels, and one day a run-in with a beehive prompts his owner Nancy to take him to the eye doctor for glasses. After meeting the doctor and failing the eye test somewhat hilariously, Douglas picks out the perfect pair of glasses and is able to see all of the amazing things and people around him. The tale is light on text, and the blurry font is limited to the cover and title page; the pencil and watercolor cartoon illustrations are what make this book so delightful. Funky patterns and a playful use of bold colors enhance the story and the reading experience. VERDICT With photos of "Real Kids Who Wear Glasses" and a social media hashtag as back matter, this is a fresh recommendation for young readers nervous about getting glasses. A fun and useful purchase.—Whitney LeBlanc, KIPP New Orleans Schools, LA

School Library Journal

2016-02-17
Everything looks great when a myopic dog gets glasses. Douglas' poor eyesight interferes with his lifestyle. He chases leaves instead of squirrels, overlooks warning signs, and sometimes even goes "home to the wrong house." After he mistakes a wasps' nest for a ball, Douglas' owner, Nancy (a white girl in a hunting cap with ear flaps), takes him to the eye doctor. Asked to identify symbols on the eye chart, Douglas sees a squirrel as a dinosaur, a cat as a crab, a car as a flying saucer, a bird as a horse, and a leaf as a squirrel. Trying on many pairs of glasses, Douglas finally chooses the perfect ones: "Wow! Everything looks amazing." Perky, humorous illustrations rely on naïve pencil outlines, watercolor washes, and cartoonlike characters to portray nearsighted Douglas coping with a world he can't see clearly, punting his way through the eye exam, and adopting different personas to match the glasses he tries on. The double-page spread showing Douglas' sharp, detailed view of the world through the frames of his new glasses should feel familiar to any spectacles-wearing kid. Photos of "real kids who wear glasses," with an invitation to "show us how you look in your glasses" by posting a photo on social media, complement Douglas' life-changing adventure. A lighthearted introduction to the perks of wearing glasses. (Picture book. 3-7)

Kirkus Reviews