Visual Impairment and Blindness
Book Reviews

Reviewed Children's Books Reviewed Books for Parents and Other Educators

Beth's Fella by Frances D. Strong for Ages 9-12, See Excerpts and Lesson. Younger children enjoy having the story read to them. Parents and teachers enjoy the story and the meaningful discussions about it especially by using the lesson plan. Amazon.com, BN.com, PayPal, check or purchase order This is an autobiographical story of the author and the horse she raised from a foal. She kept the horse for 33 years as her visual impairment gradually changed from an inconvenience to a handicap. She was a child when she was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa and when the foal was born. The reader can develop an understanding of her visual impairment while enjoying many adventures on a farm in the 1950's through 1980's. Students gain insights about how life was different then. The horse (Lucky) from Frances' first book (A Lucky Pair) makes a visit to her farm in Beth's Fella.

A Lucky Pair by Frances D. Strong for Grades 1 - 3, See Excerpts and Lesson. Amazon.com, BN.com, PayPal, check or purchase order In this heartwarming story, the author tells of the close friendship between a visually impaired girl and a Tennessee walking horse which she rescues. It is based on the author's experiences after her retinitis pigmentosa caused her to retire from school teaching. Shortly after that, her father died and her horse which she had owned for 33 years died. She became depressed. Then Lucky came into her life. See a lesson plan to teach practical information about visual impairment and to improve reading vocabulary. Discuss how the child and horse helped each other. Discover why the girl in the story and the horse were truly a lucky pair.

Glasses, Glasses. Oh, What Do I See?
Karen Smith Stair
Ages 4 - 8
This insightful statement is on the first page: "...all I could see was blurries and squiggles, and that is how I thought it was supposed to be." Children who need glasses do think everyone sees things the same way they do. The illustrations show how things look so much better when they are in focus. It is an uplifting book for any child who needs help adjusting to glasses.

Through Grandpa's Eyes
Patricia Maclachlan
Ages 4 - 8
Children develop a better understanding of visual impairments by through this child's experiences with his blind grandfather.

Follow My Leader
James B. Garfield
Ages 9-12
This powerful story of blindness, coping, and forgiveness was published decades ago and is still a favorite. Jimmy re-learns many things after being blinded by a firecracker. He also learns to read Braille, to work with his guide dog, and to forgive the boy who accidentally caused his blindness. Click on the title to read what others have said about the impact this book has had.

Blueberry Eyes
Monica Driscoll Beatty
Ages: Read to preschool and up
What a lovely nickname for Meaghan! One eye didn't open till a couple of days after she was born. By the time she was four months old, her blueberry eyes had glasses because they were crossing and Meaghan was very farsighted. This delightful book presents health care issues from the child's point of view, e.g. the joy of seeing better with glasses; the frustrations of wearing an eye patch; the feelings about being the only child her age with glasses (bifocals); the nice nurses and doctors; the presents and cards from family and friends after eye muscle surgery; etc. The story is told by Meaghan when she is in second grade. It is very well written and has a glossary for technical terms.

All Children Have Different Eyes: Learn to Play and Make Friends
Edie A. Glaser and Maria Burgio, Ph. D.
Ages:4-8 and older
Large Print
This is a very encouraging and informative book. Examples of thoughtful behavior and explanations of differences can help change childish curiosity and unkindness. This book focuses on what can be accomplished by children who have visual difficulties. First, the authors have us meet Tommy who has nystagmus. A sound spelling is given along with a little story of how Tommy encourages positive reactions and how he handles negative reactions of children. After Tommy's story, we read stories of other children with other low visual difficulties such as cataracts, myopia, and strabismus. There is a glossary. Resources include books and websites. Activities in the back of the book, give reference to pages in the story with examples of improving social compentency skills. The scenes in the stories and the skills include making friends, coping with mean people, coping with other people's lack of knowledge, etc.

Look At It This Way: Toys and Activities for Children with Visual Impairment
Roma Lear
Find a lot of practical advice about making or modifying toys and using toys for handicapped children. Addresses are given for obtaining some materials. The toys and activities in this excellent book help children reach beyond their feelings of defeat by using any child's most natural mode of learning. Fun.

Children With Visual Impairments: A Parents' Guide (The Special-Needs Collection)
M. Cay Holbrook
The author is a special educator who has a visually impaired child. Holbrook offers a very readable text with practical guidance and encouragement. There is information to help children develop independence, self-esteem, and reading skills. Educational, medical, legal, and family issues are presented with understanding from people who have a lot of experience. Parents and other educators appreciate the bibliography, glossary, and resource list. This is the revised edition of this popular book.

Children with Visual Impairments: Social Interaction, Language and Learning (Paperback)
Joao Roe
This book includes interesting case histories as it addresses needs of children with a variety of visual impairments. There are many practical strategies, advice about low vision aids, physical layouts, lighting conditions, etc. as well as technical information for parents, teachers and school support professionals.

The Complete IEP Guide: How to Advocate for Your Special Ed. Child
By Lawrence M. Siegel
One reviewer at amazon.com states, "If you buy just one book about Special Education this year, this should be the one."

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