Follow My Leader

I read this book as a youth, and decided to give it a reread. Unfortunately, it is a bit dated, and not as good as an adult read, imo. I think the target audience of 8-10 year olds might enjoy Jimmy's story, though a much better book in this genre is Light a Single Candle by Beverly Butler.

As a young boy, Jimmy uses his eyes for everything. He plays ball, climbs trees, watches TV, and sets off fireworks with his friends. But when a firecracker goes off inches from his face, he loses his eyesight. Devastated, he begins to wonder how he can survive, until his mother suggests he get a Seeing Eye dog. Leader, the German Sheppard, gives Jimmy back his independence, and together they traverse the lands, as Jimmy discovers that there is more to the world than simply seeing. Young readers will be able to discover the world outside of just the visible one, find friendship in unusual places, and trust in others.

Aw, gee, this book was swell. Well, if swell means it was ok. First published in 1957 and definitely felt like it. I believe it was written by a blind person and the book goes through what it is like to deal with going blind, leaning to navigate the world, and getting a guide dog. There also is some drama dealing with the friend who accidently threw the firecracker in his face that blinded him that ends the way you would expect. I always hope an average book has at least some spark of excellence in some of the text, or some moment that shines enough, but didn't really find it in this book. I did find a fair amount of 'aw' and 'gee' and several 'swells'.

It would be a good book if you wanted to teach a youth about blindness. Might be fun show more to discuss writing style with a youth. Like I said it was ok. show less

This book was written in 1957, but when I read it in the late 80s, it didn't seem dated at all. You could feel Jimmy's frustration and at times you got frustrated with him even though you saw how hard adjusting to this new way of life was. Watching him learn to work with Leader and come to trust him, was something I never forgot, and I think I loved that dog as much as Jimmy did.

This book was a great insight into a world that I will probably never enter. It felt real, and was completely accessible for me even as a child. I would recommend this book to anyone, and in fact I think its one of those stories that everyone should read, because it gives them a new understanding of others.

Aw, gee, this book was swell. Well, if swell means it was ok. First published in 1957 and definitely felt like it. I believe it was written by a blind person and the book goes through what it is like to deal with going blind, leaning to navigate the world, and getting a guide dog. There also is some drama dealing with the friend who accidently threw the firecracker in his face that blinded him that ends the way you would expect. I always hope an average book has at least some spark of excellence in some of the text, or some moment that shines enough, but didn't really find it in this book. I did find a fair amount of 'aw' and 'gee' and several 'swells'.

It would be a good book if you wanted to teach a youth about blindness. Might be fun show more to discuss writing style with a youth. Like I said it was ok. show less

I loved this book as a child. It is the story of a young boy, Jimmy, who loses his sight to an accident with a fire cracker. I was disappointed in rereading it. The dialog is very stilted and not very believable. It has some good messages as Jimmy learns to adjust to his blindness and grows to forgive his friend who threw the fire cracker. As a child I loved Jimmy's relationship with his dog, Leader and Leader's intelligence and heroics on a scouting trip. I think kids might still like it. I would give it three and a half stars.

It's a good story, especially helping children understand some of the challenges that disability can bring. My concern is that it is dated (original copyright is 1957) and may be giving inaccurate information. Tackles concepts such as reconciliation and forgiveness, self-sufficiency, and in a small way, humility (although it is not identified as such).