[I Can See Just Fine] [By: Barclay, Eric] [August, 2013]

by Eric Barclay

Paige is just like every other kid. She goes to school. She practices her violin. She plays outside. The only problem is, she cannot quite see the chalkboard, her sheet music, or anything else! Despite Paige’s repeated refrain of “I can see just fine,” the comical illustrations portray a different story. Paige’s parents decide it’s time for her to visit the eye doctor, despite her protests. But Paige’s stubbornness quickly dissolves as she braves an enthralling eye checkup, enjoys a playful frame selection, and, most importantly, ends up with perfect eyesight! Barclay successfully depicts a very real and relevant issue with lightheartedness and gentle humor. Young readers will relate to Paige’s journey and celebrate her triumph of seeing clearly in the end.Praise for I Can See Just Fine"It’s a useful, non-didactic story for kids in Paige’s situation—and utterly fun, too.”-- Publishers Weekly"A gentle way to introduce the topic of eyeglasses with a resistant child and what to expect in finding a solution."-- Shelf Awareness for Readers"With an attractive, clean layout and big speech bubbles, this story is one that young readers will easily follow as Paige ultimately triumphs with her new glasses."-- School Library Journal"This is an easy picture book for beginning readers with full-color illustrations. The stylized, pleasing illustrations are done well and a lot of children can relate to the situation."-- Library Media Connection

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Humor, Storytime, Fiction, Juvenile, School

Hardcover

First published August 6, 2013

About the author

Eric Barclay is the author/illustrator of I CAN SEE JUST FINE (Abrams Appleseed) and SHEEP DOG AND SHEEP SHEEP (Harper Collins). He's also the illustrator of My PET WANTS A PET by Elise Broach, which was selected as Parents Magazine's Best Picture Book of 2018. Eric lives in Texas and wears cowboy boots.

Reviews

[Mehsi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, what a fun little read this was.

It is about a girl who can't see well, and everyone around her notices that. However the girl herself doesn't want glasses. Nope, not at all. She can see just fine!

It was brilliant to see in how many ways she didn't see well. You could see her come in with a skunk, thinking it was a cat. Or her reading a book upside down. Even in class, she was standing on the desk instead of sitting.

I loved her parents, and how her mom just put her in the car without saying where they were going.

I loved the glasses, and how the girl was at first like, I don't need glasses, and then poof, she could see and she was all quiet. :)

The illustrations are top-notch, really colourful and fun to see.

I would recommend this book to everyone who needs a fun, short read.

And I normally don't add images, but I just had to share this one:

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay. I Can See Just Fine is MAGNIFICENT. I wish that I had access to a read like this when I was much younger and going through the process of getting glasses. There are not a great deal of books available out there for younger children, that aren't overly informational or just plain uninteresting, for children getting glasses for the first time. This book is exactly what a young child needs; it is inviting, colorful, fun and informational in an enjoyable and not overwhelming way. I absolutely plan on recommending this book to anyone that I may in the future! Glasses are awesome and it's time everyone realized it. Rock on reading with rims!

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh does this take me back to being an astonished 10-year-old putting on glasses for the first time! The colors were so sharp, there were traffic signals at the crosswalks and I could see who people were across the room! So reassuring for incipient spectacle wearers! I especially liked the scenes in the eye-doctor's office.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very cute and just right for prepping a kindergartener for her first visit to the eye doctor. I really love the illustrations, too. I want to buy this one for us!

[AMY · Rating 5 out of 5]

CUTE! I can totally relate! Highly recommended for Grades K-5.

[Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute book for younger ones getting glasses for the first time. I loved the humor in it and the fun little touches in the illustrations (her dilated eyes cracked me up!). I didn't have to get glasses until I was an adult, but I still related to a lot of the pictures and things that she experiences. Would be one to recommend for those also facing their first pair.

[Taisha Casimir · Rating 5 out of 5]

I saw this at my public library. It is cute and hilarious!! :)

[Elizabeth]

This book is so funny.

[Kadee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an extremely cute book, especially for those kids who do need to wear glasses but don't want to.

[Rosana Olivas]

I Can See Just Fine details the journey of a girl, Paige, realizing she needs eyeglasses and that the world is much nicer to look at when you can actually see it. First Paige’s teacher notices she is having trouble looking at the chalkboard. Then the music teacher realizes Paige is having trouble reading her music. Finally, Paige’s family noticed that she was having trouble distinguishing between everyday objects. Throughout all of this, Paige kept repeating, “I can see just fine!” Paige doesn’t want to go to the eye doctor or wear her glasses but soon changes her mind once she sees how clear the world looks with them on. This sends a message to children who struggle with their eyesight that needing glasses is not a bad thing. It makes life better when you can actually see. This relates to life events throughout childhood as many children need glasses growing up. In Nodelman’s article “Decoding the images: How picture books work”, the author discusses how children find it easier to process picture books featuring repetitive imagery. In I Can See Just Fine, the entire plot of the book repeats itself before and after Paige gets her glasses. This shows readers how much Paige’s everyday life has changed for the better after getting her glasses and being able to see.

[Buku Arutala · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was impressed with the idea of the story was that simple. The story began when a girl named Paige didn't realize that there was something wrong in her eyesight. She thought everything was fine but all people around her really knew that she got trouble in eyesight. She always made mistake when playing instrumental in her music class. She also couldn't see clearly her teacher's writing on chalkboard. Even in her house, all the stuffs were looked blur but she was still sure that she could see just fine. Until someday, her mom asked her to check up her eyes in the hospital. Since that day, she wore a eyeglasses and could see everything very well.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked how it mentioned the eye drops before the exam, the double page spread of frame options, the spread of Paige in multiple frames, and especially the difference in what she sees before glasses and after. Also, I completely related to the mom seeing smudges all the time on Paige's glasses now that my newly 5 year old wears glasses.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Any time it was mentioned to Paige that she was having trouble seeing things her reply was always, “I can see just fine.” Concerned, Paige’s mother took her to the eye doctor who found that Paige needed glasses. At first she wasn’t happy but then she really could see just fine. Cute story showing how eyes are tested. Nicely illustrated.

[Pawpaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet but I don't like Paige's stubbornness and the art style was mid.

[Rolf · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very useful book if you have a kid in your life who is hesitant to wear their glasses.

[Renee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paige is having trouble seeing but won't admit to it, "I can see just fine." The book has great little picture clues that help the reader understand why see doesn't see too well - like her upside down book, mismatched shoes, mistaking a skunk for a cat, etc. The story follows her to the eye doctor and to the store to pick out new frames. The ending mirrors the beginning at school, at home, etc. as she now can see very well.

This was a great story at PreK storytime. It was a great length, funny, and the kids did better than me picking up on little picture clues. LOVED IT!

This would also be a good book to use with a child who will be visiting the eye doctor for the first time and or getting new glasses.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations take this clever book about needing glasses over the top. Details in the illustrations elevate the humor of the text and clue readers in to the falseness of Paige's claim to "see just fine". I've shown this to friends and colleagues who wear glasses who confirm that it authentically portrays the experience of getting a first pair of glasses with humor both adult and child can enjoy. The interaction at the end of the book between Paige and her mother was genuine and a perfect note to end on, although on some of the pages proceeding it the over-the-top moments felt a bit forced. Overall, an excellent book to share with kids in grades K-2.

[Elaine Bearden · Rating 4 out of 5]

preS - gr2/3
Cleverly illustrated picture book about a child denying that they need glasses. The story is told in a format that has a picture book rhythm, so it would be easy to share in storytime. I think the book should have ended one page earlier, since Paige's (the main character) growth in realizing how much she had been missing took several pages. However, when the glasses get really dirty and she says "I can see fine," I'm left feeling like nothing happened in the book. Ending with the skunk, I think is a nice link to the beginning and would make a good ending for the story.

[Brindi Michele · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this should be consider for the Schneider award (for literature on the subject of disabilities) for the young children's category. Thanks to the good Lord, I am in my late 20's and have great eyesight (however, these long hours of reading and being on a computer are not helping), so I'm not sure if this book is an excellent representation of a child experiencing sight difficulty. But I really enjoyed it, and I think it is a light-hearted way to address a tough issue with children.

[Simina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a wonderful tool to introduce the idea of being a bespectacled child. Paige’s journey, from stubbornly insisting she sees just fine to finally accepting her need for glasses, is portrayed with warmth, patience and humor. The story accurately captures the emotions children might feel, making it relatable and thus helpful with glasses wearing acceptance. The book has charming illustrations.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

As Paige's teachers and parents come to realize that she can no longer see well, they schedule an appointment with an eye doctor. Not surprisingly, despite her insistence that she "can see just fine!" (unpaged) she needs glasses so that she can see better. Young readers will love the final page with the interaction between mother and daughter as well as the page with the blurred image.

[Maryanna Baumer · Rating 5 out of 5]

So cute! This would be a good book to read to a child who had glasses and was upset about it because Paige didn't want glasses, but once she got them she could see everything! The illustrations were really cute too. Very cartoony and straight lines, coloring inside the lines. Over all, a wonderful book!

[Mari · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one made me chuckle, as I imagined reading it to a story time group. I'm almost positive that the kids will love saying "I can see just fine!" and then giggle with me when our main character mistakes a skunk for a cat. It might be a little small for my big group, but I think I'll need to try it out anyway.

[Gina Perry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Getting my first pair of glasses at age 10, this book grabbed my heart from the go. My 2 & 4yo kids love the humor, details, and memorable refrain from Paige. They shouted along with her on the first reading!

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I Can See Just Fine is a great introduction into what it's like to need glasses. Paige insists that there is no problem, touting "I can see just fine" whenever an adult asks her if she can see. The illustrations make this tale even more fun with subtle humor both adults and children will enjoy.

[Kendra · Rating 4 out of 5]

This would be a fun book to share with any child, but especially one facing getting glasses. Walks through going to the eye doctor and really makes getting glasses sound enjoyable. My favorite is her reaction after putting on her new glasses. Anyone with glasses can relate, I'm sure!

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

SUPER CUTE! This is a great book for kids who are worried about getting glasses. The illustrations are really cute in depicting the ways that Paige gets things mixed up before she gets her glasses. A very simple book, but a great one.

Highly recommended.

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great simple, title to share with kids facing the eye doctor and new glasses for the first time, in particular the before and after glasses spread. Adorable illustrations. Straightforward and humorous text.

[Georgia Vallee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was Paige. She and I were both little girls who thought our vision was just fine because it was all we had ever known - then, wow! The world looked different! Very relatable story for self conscious kiddos.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A completely relatable story for young children in similar situations with some nice touches of humor.