This is kind of a niche topic, but one near and dear to my heart. When I was a child, I used to see my ophthalmologist every three months, rather than having annual exams as recommended for most kids. When I was little I didn’t understand the words being used to describe me – myopia (near-sightedness), astigmatism, amblyopia, esotropia, strabismus… All I knew was that I needed glasses, my eyes were a little crossed, sometimes I had double vision, and my sister wasn’t even smart enough to tell me which of her eyes was dominant (sorry, sis, but I mentally called you some really mean things back then because I didn’t realize that I was the one whose eyes were weird). I wish I’d had books to help me to know what was going on with my eyes, especially when I was having surgeries at ages 5, 6, and 8 to try to fix them. I’m not going into details of the whole story, but I am going to share some books that I found as an adult that could have helped me as a child. And that’s the whole point of many of my posts – if you have a child going through something, look for books to help explain it. You never know what a difference you can make for that child.

Books about Eye Problems – Lazy Eye

My Travelin’ Eye by Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw

Some people have eyes that don’t work together. For some people it’s more noticeable than for others. But there are treatments for kids with a lazy eye, and sometimes the problem can be corrected completely. Before surgery, I had to wear a patch over my strong eye (or “dominant,” as I called it) to help the weak one learn to work harder and get stronger. The patch I had was tan, and looked like a bandage. I hated it. I never thought to decorate it, which is what the girl in this book does. And now, eye patches come in lots of different designs, just like bandages.

This book meant so much to me when I found it. I think all children’s ophthalmologists should have it in their office to lend to kids experiencing this. The author, who wrote this book about herself, never thinks of her eyes as a negative thing, a problem, just as a different way to see the world. And that’s empowering for any child.

Arrrrre You Going to School Today

The Pirate of Kindergarten by George Ella Lyon

While I don’t think I wore a patch in Kindergarten, this is another book I wish I’d read as a child. Ginny, the girl in this one, hates her double vision, as anyone would, and is excited for her eye patch because she can pretend she’s a pirate. By forcing her weak eye to do all the work, she is able to do so many things more easily than she could before. My one critique: I don’t know how long most kids wear an eye patch, but I know for me it was a lot longer than the week Ginny does.

Books about Eye Problems – Glasses

Luna and the Big Blur by Shirley Day

Luna wears glasses, but nobody else in her family does. One day she decides not to wear them, and so everything she sees is blurry. She makes a lot of mistakes and ends up realizing that having glasses is actually pretty great. I got my first pair of glasses when I was 2, so I don’t know if it was ever an issue for me. Plus both of my parents wore glasses. But if a child’s whole family sees perfectly and then they are told they have to wear glasses, I can see how this book could help them. Plus the story is really cute, and I definitely would have enjoyed this one as a kid.

Surgery

Getting Ready for My Surgery by Fei Zheng-Ward

I have to admit, I have not actually read this book. But it came out less than a year ago and has a bunch of good reviews. It helps children know what to expect if they need surgery (whether it’s for their eyes or tonsils or something else), and goes step by step through the process. Many reviews on Goodreads and Amazon are from parents who say the book helped ease their child’s fears about having surgery. It could also help a child who knows someone else, like a family member, who needs surgery.

Check out Miss Michelle’s Book Nook

Miss Michelle shares her book recommendations each month on the In Our Homeschool blog. Find links to all of her posts here.

Miss Michelle is the sister of Kristen, who writes this blog. She has a daughter who is 10 and a son who is 5. They are not home-schooled, but Miss Michelle is super supportive and proud of her sister for doing it. She has been a full-time Children’s Librarian for over 16 years and loves to recommend her favorite books. You can follow her on Goodreads, where she keeps track of books she has read for storytime, at https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/170007385-miss-michelle.