Carla’s Glasses

From Kirkus Reviews
To see or not to see.
Carla’s thrilled that Vision Screening Day’s approaching. She hopes she’ll need glasses because no one else in class wears them. Her friend Buster scoffs, “You like to be different.” Next day, Carla’s wearing self-made purple pipe-cleaner frames. She tells Buster she wants to see what styles and colors will flatter her when she gets real glasses. Every day thereafter, Carla sports different frames she’s designed and constructed. She’s excited on Vision Screening Day, but the final verdict’s disappointing: Carla doesn’t need glasses, but Buster apparently does, a conclusion that’s confirmed by an eye exam at the optometrist’s. Supportive Carla accompanies Buster and his dad there and helps Buster select his eyewear. Buster confesses that he doesn’t enjoy being different: His new glasses will make him stand out when what he wants is to blend in. Carla hatches a plan and gets crafting. Next day, she colludes with her teacher and classmates. When Buster arrives, everyone’s wearing Carla-fashioned glasses to welcome him; he doesn’t stand out after all. This uplifting, reassuring story is about warm friendship and about being seen—literally—and accepted for who you are. Carla’s a supportive, creative pal, and this story should boost the esteem of kids nervous about getting their first pair of glasses. The high-spirited illustrations were created with a combination of watercolor and digital media. Carla and Buster are pale-skinned; their class is racially diverse.
An insightful, thought-provoking story. (Picture book. 5-8)

From Kadie Seitz, School Library Journal
Gr 1-2–Carla likes standing out, unlike her friend Buster, who prefers blending in. When she finds out that eye health screenings are happening in her class next week, she’s excited about the possibility of getting some fun glasses to stand out even more. Unfortunately, it’s Buster who needs glasses—not Carla. Even when Carla helps him pick out some nice frames, he still dreads going to school and standing out. So Carla hatches a plan to help him gain confidence in his new specs. Both Carla and Buster are light-skinned with blue eyes, though their teacher appears to have darker skin, as do several of their classmates. Bailey’s watercolor and digital illustrations are colorful and expressive, and include lots of details for children to pore over.
VERDICT A solid choice for most collections, this book details an important rite of passage for many children, and could be especially useful for parents helping their child navigate wearing glasses for the first time.

From Edwards Book Club Reviews, Christa McGrath
True story: I have a sister named Carla and she sometimes wears glasses.
But this story is not about my sister. It is about another Carla, a much younger Carla. She is a unique little girl who loves to be different than everyone else. So different, in fact, that she actually wants to wear glasses. So when ‘Vision Screening Day’ comes to her school, she is hopeful to get a prescription for glasses. She spends the week at school preparing for what she thinks is the inevitable. So each day she makes (and wears) a unique pair of glasses, all in preparation for the real thing. But she aces the reading test and, instead of feeling relief (that others may feel) she feels glum.
When the opportunity arises for her to join her friend — who did not pass the reading test – on an excursion to the eye doctor, Carla is way more excited than him. But she is just the right amount of fun and support as her friend reluctantly adjusts to wearing glasses for the first time.
This book has an important message to tell. I love that it makes ‘being different’ and ‘wearing glasses’ cool! I love that it is a story about kindness and acceptance and about how to be a good friend. We all need a Carla in our lives, and this book teaches children how to be that friend. It’s also a wonderful book for children who need to wear glasses.
Of course, all the beautiful watercolour illustrations complement the story perfectly and add the visual appeal that children’s books need. Though, the real value of this book lies in the important lessons it teaches.

From Children’s Bookwatch Magazine, Midwest Book Review
Critique: Carla’s Glasses by the team of author/storyteller Debbie Herman and artist/illustrator Sheila Bailey is the long anticipated companion to their award-winning “Carla’s Sandwich” picture book and will be especially appreciated by kids who are experiencing stress by having to wear glasses – and to the benefit of those who don’t. A unique and unreservedly recommended pick for family, elementary school, and community library Life Skills/Life Issues picture book collections for children ages 5-7, it should be noted for personal reading lists that “Carla’s Glasses” is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $7.99).
It takes a clever mind to think up so many ways to make a pair of glasses! Carla is witty, silly, and caring and is an example of kindness we could all learn from. Anybody who reads this will learn that a little bit of kindness goes a long, long way. In addition, the illustrator models her talent at creating a plethora of faces and expressions in a classroom of children who join in on the big surprise at the end! Well done! –Kimberly Waters, Reviewer

From actress Nicola Coughlan during her read-aloud for Storyline Online
So what I like about this book is it shows how important it is for everyone to celebrate who they are and how everyone is different, and how that’s a wonderful, wonderful thing. I think this story is very, very special too because it shows how important it is to have kind friends, and to always be there to support your friends because they’ll be so important to you in your life, and it shows how Carla is a really good friend.

From Emily Schneider, educator, writer, and blogger on Imaginary Elevators
You might expect Carla’s Glasses to be about a girl who needs to acclimate herself to having less than perfect eyesight. On the cover, she seems excited to be trying on a purple, glittery, pair of glasses that are hardly inconspicuous. Instead, this warm and entertaining picture book is about the difference between being a person who wants to stand out, and one who hopes to blend in. Carla wants to wear glasses, but, unfortunately, she has 20/20 vision. Her friend, Buster, does not. They don’t trade places, and they don’t change one another.
The issue at the center of the book is serious, but the tone is light and reassuring. When the classroom teacher is named Ms. Pimento, you can expect some humor along with the conflict. Carla is outgoing, somewhat non-conformist in a Ramona Quimby way. She wears clothing that deliberately calls attention to herself. When Ms. Pimento announces a vision screening, Carla is expecting the most exciting outcome. While the other children seem a bit hesitant, or at least noncommittal, Carla creates her fantasy vision of the future out of craft sticks, glitter, and construction paper. “This pair really accentuates my eyes,” she tells her friends about this new accessory.
When the real eye exams begin, Carla is ready. In spite of her zeal, she doesn’t deliberately throw the test. Honesty is apparently another one of Carla’s personal qualities. She’s also an optimist, believing that not being able to read even the tiniest line of print means she will qualify for glasses. Buster is not so fortunate, at least from his perspective. Unlike his friend, his nightmare is being obvious, and he has the insight to understand the contrast to Carla: “I’m the opposite. I like to blend in.” Debbie Herman is sensitive to the way children feel, but doesn’t overwhelm them with overbearing empathy. Sheila Bailey’s pictures center Carla’s starring role. She is visually arresting everywhere she appears, and also in the scenes where her viewpoint dominates. When the whole class puts on the exotic array of glasses that emerged from the craft treasure box, everyone looks equally excited, including Ms. Pimento. Intervening scenes, including Buster’s visit to the optometrist and his anxious car ride home, are more subdued.
Carla’s Glasses is perfect for children facing this particular situation. It’s equally encouraging for anyone who doesn’t want to stand out like the giant letter “E” on the eye chart, but can appreciate a friend who does.

From SeasonsOfKidLit
Herman’s heartwarming text paired with Bailey’s adorable and unique illustrations makes Carla’s Glasses a must! Readers young and old will love Clara’s quirky but caring personality and even get ideas of how they can help other kids in similar situations. With a subtle message about fitting in, standing out, and true friendship, this book is an excellent addition to any school or home library.

From educator Heather Best (@creatingbookworms) and her reading therapy dog, Dolly
Carla loves to be different but her friend Buster likes to blend in. This amazing story shows how friends have the power to ease someone’s discomfort of being different with a creative solution. A must-read for those with or without glasses, especially with school starting!

From Maria Marshall, The Picture Book Buzz
A fun sequel to Carla’s Sandwich, this is a wonderful, thought-provoking book celebrating friendship and individuality, which could help kids getting glasses for the first time.
What I LOVED about this book:
I remember those eye test days. Although I don’t remember anyone as excited about the test or the possibility of wearing glasses as Carla. This opening does a great job of setting up Carla & Buster’s almost opposite personalities.
For the rest of the week, Carla goes to school in some snazzy outfits and wearing a different pair of homemade frames – round purple pipe cleaners, blue, craft stick squares, orange construction paper stars, and finally large cat-eye shapes covered in glitter. She appears oblivious of the bemused and startled looks of her classmates.
When the day for the eye test finally arrives, Carla is so excited, “she leaped out of chair.” All of Sheila Bailey’s watercolor and digital illustrations are colorful, lively, and expressive, with so many little details that kids will recognize from their own classrooms. I especially liked the eye chart and props the nurse brought with her to relax the more nervous kids. When Carla returns to her seat, she tells Buster, “Well, I wasn’t sure about one of the letters. I hope that means I need glasses!”
The next day, both Buster and Carla are in bad moods. “I got the results of the screening,” Carla explained. “I don’t need glasses after all.” “And it looks like I do need glasses,” grumbled Buster.” Oh, maybe not entirely unpredictable, but a wonderful double dark moment of the soul. Neither got what they desperately wanted.
Swallowing her disappointment, Carla offers to go with Buster to the optometrist and help pick out glasses, if actually he needs them. Debbie Herman’s text beautifully captures Carla’s soul and sets up a gorgeous series of illustrations by Sheila Bailey. Of my did she capture poor Buster’s anguish. I also adore the look on the poor optometrist’s face and the bemused expression on dad! I think two friends and I got looks like that a couple of years ago as we were blowing off steam and trying on glasses in the drug store.
Even though he seems to like the glasses, Buster gets increasingly sullen. When Carla finally listens to her friend, she makes an important discovery. One that harkens back to the beginning. The touching and “totally Carla” ending is spectacular and will hopefully inspire kid’s creativity and empathy. This is a spectacular book celebrating friendship and encouraging being ourselves and seeing and accepting others as they are.

From Barbara Gruener, The Corner on Character 
In this companion book to Carla’s Sandwich, we are reminded that our creative friend, Carla, likes to be different. First she made different sandwich concoctions, now she’s making funky frames to wear in anticipation of getting glasses. But it’s not Carla who needs glasses. Instead, it’s her blend-in friend Buster, and he is not pleased! Enter empathy, that glorious virtue that prompts Carla to not only go with him to pick out his pair but also go home to make fancy frames for all of her classmates so that Buster doesn’t stand out with his new specs.
I connect with Carla, because in the 6th grade, I really wanted glasses, too, so much so that I remember fudging the Vision Screening to tip the scales in my favor. True story.
I remember thinking that my first pair of granny glasses was epic; fifty years and LOTS of pairs later, I wish I could see without glasses. But I digress.
What makes Carla’s story so cool is that even though she doesn’t get her heart’s desire, she’s still able to step into her friend’s story and help him look and feel not so noticeably alone. Now that’s a visionary friend!
Use this as a springboard to talk about respect and invite your students to make a pair of respectacles for themselves. Start using a silent respectacles signal when you notice or need to see respect. Seal the deal with a little ditty using the hand-jive movements:
R-E-S-P-E-C-T
you’ve got to give it, to get it
yeah, that’s the key!
We live by the
Golden Rule, you see
at (insert school name) Elementary
Check out this sweet story of empathy and acceptance; I predict it’ll be a catalyst for some insightful reader reflections. 

From Carla Whitecotton Beaty, special education teacher
Carla’s creativity and empathy shine as she comes up with a plan to help Buster embrace his new look, ultimately reinforcing the value of friendship and self-expression. This engaging story encourages readers to accept themselves and support others. This book offers a valuable lesson for children, especially those anxious about wearing glasses, and to help encourage confidence and kindness between friends!

From twylattesandbooks, library assistant
I loved this story! Carla has so many wonderful characteristics. Confidence, creativity and kindness to name a few. The kids loved the story too, particularly the colourful illustrations! It’s a great book for parents and teachers who want to help kids feel confident and accept themselves.

From Crystal Cahill, elementary library teacher
Carla’s Glasses has quickly become a favourite in our house, and our daughter has requested to read it again, and again… and again! We love Carla- she is so confident, unique, and kind-hearted. She looks out for her friends, and finds creative ways to make them feel special & loved.
This is a great book to help children see how something that may be fun & exciting for one child (in this case, getting new glasses), may not feel the same to another child. It really helps showcase how we can all feel different things. This would be a great book to share with little readers ahead of an eye exam, to a child getting new glasses, or just to any group of young ones!
We especially loved the illustrations, by Sheila Bailey. They really bring Carla’s energy to life, and all the children’s personalities and emotions shine bright! Keep an *eye* out for some really cute classroom pets throughout this story!
Thank you to Flashlight Press for gifting us this copy – and congratulations on 20 years in publishing!!!

From Doreen Sheridan, book critic from The Frumious Consortium
It’s so uncommon to find a book that perfectly captures both exuberance and empathy as well as Carla’s Glasses does! And especially in so few pages, and in a way that’s perfect for readers of all ages.
Carla is one of those rare but delightful grade schoolers who loves standing out. When her teacher Ms Pimento announces that everyone will be getting a vision test from the school nurse next Monday, she’s super excited. As she tells her classmate and good friend Buster, she hopes she’ll need glasses so that she can be the only kid in class who has them.
Over the course of the next few days, she comes to school with brand new “glasses” she’s constructed from various craft materials. She gleefully discusses them with all the other students, as they consider which ones suit her best.
The day of the vision test arrives and Carla is amped up about possibly missing one of the letters. The next day, however, brings only disappointment. According to the nurse, Carla’s eyesight is just fine. The only person who needs glasses is Buster, and he is not happy about it at all.
Unlike Carla, Buster hates standing out. Carla tries to cheer him up by accompanying him to the optometrist’s and helping him pick out his frames. But he’s really unhappy about being the only kid in their class who has to wear glasses at all. Kind-hearted Carla doesn’t know what to do… until, that is, she goes home and is inspired by her own hand-crafted glasses to help make life better for Buster.
Carla just might be the sweetest and somehow most practical fictional child I know! Her own resilience is exemplary in the face of disappointment, and her determination to help her friend feel better about being different is truly outstanding. There’s a valuable lesson in here about both friendship and solidarity, and how not getting what you want doesn’t mean that you should stop caring about others or stop trying to meet them where they are. Carla might love standing out but she’s also well aware that that’s not what works for everyone. Note that she never exhorts Buster to be more like herself but genuinely listens to his feelings and comes at the problem from his perspective, not her own. It’s clear that her desire to be different doesn’t come from either self-centeredness or insecurity: she just knows that it’s okay to like things and to be excited about them. She also knows that she doesn’t need to pull focus all the time, and that her own kindness and generosity will always ensure that she’s the heroine of not just her own life story but of the chapters of many others’. Her ability to get everyone else in her class involved in supporting Buster is a terrific example of her leadership capabilities, too. If Carla were a real person, I strongly suspect that she’d be running the world for the better once she grows up.
Sheila Bailey’s art perfectly illustrates this delightful tale. A combination of watercolor and digital media, the expressive illustrations favor energy over prettiness, adorably complementing the story and reinforcing the fact that spirit matters just as much as conventional attributes when it comes to attractiveness.
Truly, this is a phenomenal kids’ book and one that should be in every library. Debbie Herman is brilliant, even without the excellent eyeball sticker joke. Carla is an amazing fictional kid, who will hopefully inspire loads of real kids to embrace both authenticity and consideration of others.

From The Strawberry Fountain blog’s Easter Gift Guide
If you are looking for a book for the over 5’s then Carla’s Glasses is a great choice, especially if your child either wears glasses, or has recently started school and ever worries about standing out for one reason or another. Debbie Herman cleverly tells a story that teachers children numerous lessons without sounding preachy, they will learn that there is no issue with wearing glasses, it’s ok to be different, being kind to others is important and being true to yourself is also ok.
It’s a fun story about a full class getting eye examinations with Buster needing a follow up test that results in the need of glasses, glasses he does not want, but with the help of his extrovert, fun and very thoughtful friend Carla, things aren’t as bad as he thinks they will be.

From @blackgirlinthelibrary, K-12 Library Media Specialist
Have you ever read Carla’s Sandwich? It’s a student favorite on Storyline Online. I recently purchased another book about Carla, Carla’s Glasses. Carla’s class has a special visit from the eye doctor. Each student has to have an eye exam and Carla is excited about potentially needed glasses. She experiments with different styles of handmade frames, but her eye exam reveals her eyesight is perfect. But, her friend’s eyesight is not. He’s sad he’ll have to wear glasses and be the only one in the class to wear them. Carla has an idea that just might make him feel less different. Written by Debbie Herman and illustrated by Sheila Bailey, Carla’s Glasses is just as cute and fun as the first book.

About the Creators

Debbie Herman is the author of Carla’s Glasses and Carla’s Sandwich. She’s a full-time writer and editor, and a former elementary school teacher with an M.A. in Special Education. Debbie resides in Chicago, Illinois. Like Carla, she’s a fan of funky glasses.
 
 
 

Sheila Bailey is the illustrator of Carla’s Glasses, Carla’s Sandwich, and many other children’s books. In addition, she is a volunteer firefighter. Although she owns 19 pairs of reading glasses that are strewn all over her home, once she forgot to bring glasses on a fire call and had to write up the incident report in huge letters because she couldn’t see her regular sized writing. She lives with her husband and daughter on Sauvie Island near beautiful Portland, Oregon.

ISBN: HC 9781947277717  eBook 9781947277724  Audiobook 9781962269216  Read-along Audio 9781947277731
Print Length: 32 Full Color Pages
Publication Date: September 2024
Age Group: 4-8
Library of Congress Control Number: 2024005762
Themes: Creativity, SEL (Relationship Skills, Social Awareness)

Activity Guides & More

• Storyline Online’s Teacher’s Guide for Carla’s Glasses
• Funky Glasses – Coloring Page
• Carla and Her Cat – Coloring Page
• Paper Eyeglasses Craft
• Glasses Gallery – Make your own funky glasses and have them featured on the author’s website! Includes links to different glasses craft instructions and ideas.

Leveling Information

Fountas and Pinnell – Text Level K

Lexile Measurements provided by Metametrics:

Lexile Display: AD560L
Word Count: 1015
MSL: 6.722
MLF: 3.479
Decoding: 76
Decoding Display: High
Semantic: 85
Semantic Display: Very High
Syntactic: 67
Syntactic Display: High
Structure: 82
Structure Display: Very High