Reviewed by Gregory Keer
My children have grown up on the the books and music of Barney Saltzberg, author of nearly 40 books for kids and someone I feel is a true parenting-resource Hall of Fame for all he has done to make children laugh and help parents be sillier and more understanding of where kids are coming from. So, it’s a pleasure to recommend his latest book, Arlo Needs Glasses. The tale is about a shaggy dog, who one day discovers he can’t see too well. He ends up visiting a doctor who fits him with spectacles, which help him go back to doing all he loves to do. With pop-ups, clever words, laugh-inducing illustrations, and a message that allays fears and speaks of the benefits of glasses, this is a marvelous book for the one of out five kids who need glasses and anyone who knows someone who wears specs.
Another kid-education advocate worthy of parenting-resource Hall of Fame status is LeVar Burton, the actor and long-time host/producer of the PBS series, Reading Rainbow. Many of the advantages of that literacy and imagination promoting TV show get new life in an iPad app that offers dozens of books and video field trips to help digital-savvy kids — ages 3-9 — enjoy all the colors of reading. The app download is free (allowing you to exlore the app and read one book for no charge) and there are subscription fees to allow access to the growing library of books and videos.
