Ged Adamson

Douglas the dog had always been nearsighted, mistaking leaves for squirrels, missing important signs, and sometimes even ending up at the wrong house! But when his poor vision leads to serious trouble, in the form of a beehive that he mistakes for a toy to be fetched, his human, Nancy, decides to take him to the eye doctor. Douglas, it transpires, needs glasses, and this helpful eye-wear makes all the difference in his ability to interact with the world around him...

A humorous and show more heartwarming look at a common childhood experience - poor eyesight and the need for corrective eye-wear - Douglas, You Need Glasses! pairs an engaging story about a dog and his girl with amusing illustrations, done in pencil and watercolor. I particularly liked the way that author/illustrator Ged Adamson made certain visual elements blurry - the title on the front cover, the background in the scene in which Douglas first looks at the world through his new glasses - reflecting how Douglas would see the world. I also appreciated the page of photographs of real children wearing their glasses, included at the rear. Recommended to anyone looking for children's stories addressing the need for glasses, as well as to anyone who just appreciates humorous tales of children and their canine companions. show less

Hunting in the snow one day, the eponymous fox in author/illustrator Ged Adamson's sweet picture-book discovers an odd box. Bringing it back to the cave where he and his animal friends meet up, the fox discovers that the box can sing, and that it produces wonderful music - music that makes the animals feel many different ways. When the box eventually stops working, it feels like catastrophe, but then the animals begin to notice the sounds of the world around them, and realize that there's show more been music everywhere they are...

A Fox Found a Box is the second title I have read from Adamson, following upon his Douglas, You Need Glasses!, about a dog with vision problems. I found it quite appealing, appreciating the simple story, with its message about music and its ability to make us true listeners, as well as the lovely artwork, done in pencil, colored pencil and watercolor. I tracked this down because the depiction of foxes in children's books is an interest of mine, and I was not disappointed on that score either. Although this is clearly one of those woodland fantasies where all the animals are friends, as opposed to predator and prey, there were some moments - the way the fox nosedives into the snow while hunting, for instance - that felt very real. Recommended to picture-books readers looking for sweet animal tales, or for stories about being an observant watcher and listener, in the world around us. show less

I have reached a point where I am so tired of presumably contemporary girls in picture books being styled for the 1950s that a book with children gets a star just for putting the girl in pants. There isn't a requirement that every picture book of the 21st century look like 2018, but I am out of patience with books showing early to mid 20th century styles for no obvious reason. Yes, many little girls go through a stereotyped girlie phase when they start some kind of school for the first time. show more But for most kids in the US, for all but that one year, or special occasions when someone else sets the dresscode, pants and shorts are the norm. Stop gratuitously and inaccurately marking gender: it's weird and regressive and stigmatizing and annoying, just like pink razors, and describing rooms with brown wood as masculine, and or requiring gendered uniforms. No more bows in the hair and mascaraed curly eyelashes. Just put everyone in blue jeans and t-shirts as the default, and if it's anthropologists critters on two legs then same.
This endeth my diatribe for the day.

Library copy show less

Bernard the bird is born with wings so large that he can't fly. As disappointing as he finds this, he learns that his giant wings are perfect for something else -- comforting all the other animals with big hugs!

This is a cute book that celebrates differences and teaches readers not to despair when a dream seems out of reach. It's good to show young ones that sometimes disappointments are unavoidable but that doesn't mean it's the end of the world. Also, in this case, Bernard and his friends show more are able to find a workaround that makes everyone happy in the end.

The illustrations are a little overwhelming at times with so much going on, but the animals -- particularly Bernard and his long, floppy wings -- are presented as charming and approachable, which fits the story well. show less