What happens when you mistake a beehive for a soccer ball? Nancy and her dog, Douglas, enjoy all sorts of adventures until a disastrous game of fetch makes it obvious that Douglas, You Need Glasses! With this picture book that’s a glorious romp from start to finish, kids and parents alike will enjoy sharing a lighthearted look at Douglas’ serious vision problem, which gets him into pickles galore.
Douglas is a good-natured, grinning canine who gleefully chases leaves instead of squirrels, walks right through barriers and signs warning of wet cement, and even ends up at the neighbor’s house, woefully unaware that anything is amiss. Nancy, his take-charge young owner, eventually hauls her pooch into the optician’s office, which will prompt many more readers’ chuckles as Douglas miserably fails the vision test and tries on a creative array of glasses frames.
Ged Adamson’s pencil-and-watercolor illustrations are bursting with colorful energy and personality; he is a master at simply conveying a myriad of facial expressions, bringing his cartoon-like characters to life. Look carefully at his attention to details, such as the cement on Douglas’ paws that leave footprints on page after page.
Adamson cleverly includes an ending spread featuring photos of children wearing glasses, and encourages readers to post photos of themselves wearing glasses on his Twitter page. Whether young readers need glasses or not, this optical celebration will leave them yearning for a pair of their own.
