"Through Grandpa's Eyes"

by: Patricia MacLachlan

reviewed by: Amanda Nichols

"Through Grandpa's Eyes" by Patricia MacLachlan is a sweet story of a grandpa, who is blind, and his grandson John. The story is told by John who explains that his favorite house is Grandpa's because he "sees it through Grandpa's eyes." Since Grandpa is blind he is forced to use his senses to live his life and this leads John to close his eyes, so that he is blind, and use his senses like Grandpa. Grandpa's is able to smell and recognize things that John is not able to because he is used to living by his senses and in one situation John asks, "How can Grandpa tell? All the smells mix together in the air." Grandpa's response to him was "close your eyes, John." Once John closed his eyes he was able to smell and distinguish things he could not before, such as the marigolds. The book goes through John living a day in Grandpa's eyes and seeing the world the way Grandpa does. This leads them to playing the cello without reading music, feeling a wood carving and knowing who it was, going for a walk and discussing the wind direction, reading a book, and other activities all by using their senses.

This book would be wonderful to use with any K-2 grade level class when a teacher begins to talk about senses. The book shows that without sight you are able to use your other sense to live a normal life and sometimes using your other senses makes you realize what you miss out on because you are less observant. The book could be used as an introduction into an activity where the students have to use their other senses, smell, touch, hearing, or tasting, to distinguish different things or objects, just like Grandpa and John. The book could also be used as a spring board to talking about differences in people. After reading the book you could explain how there are lots of people who are blind and that just because they may not be like them doesn't mean you should be mean or not like them. You could use to book to talk about everyone being equal no matter what and that you should treat everyone fairly.

"Through Grandpa's Eyes" is a great book that makes you realize how much we take for granted by having our sight and how much we miss by not using out other senses fully.