The Pirate of Kindergarten

Starred review from May 17, 2010
Ginny has double vision, although she doesn't receive that diagnosis (and a treatment plan) until the final pages of this vividly empathetic book. Without lecturing or making Ginny the object of pity, Lyons (Sleepsong) and Avril (Every Cowgirl Needs a Horse), who works in cheery but remarkably expressive pastels, show how disorientating and alienating it feels when something as fundamental as visual perception goes awry. "If she didn't keep her mind tied tight when Ms. Cleo gave them rabbit pictures, she might cut out one ear and another and another. Once she got so mad, she stuck the scissors in the paste." The arrival of a vision screener at school is a little gem of narrative tension: since Ginny can see fine when one eye is covered, will her problem be caught? Readers will be reassured and gratified to know that the answer is yes ("Do you see two of me?" asks the nurse kindly. "Do you know... that most people see only one?") Even those with 20/20 vision will feel Ginny's sense of relief, and close the book confident of her progress. Ages 4–8.

Starred review from June 1, 2010

Ginny loves reading circle, but getting there is a bit of a challenge because only half the chairs are real. Figuring out which words to read is tough, too. See, "Ginny's eyes [play] tricks"—she's got double vision and doesn't realize that's unusual. "We read it just once," says her teacher, and, "Don't squint." Lyon's simple, declarative text effortlessly puts readers into Ginny's head, and Avril's whimsical mixed-media illustrations give them her eyes, overlaying one image slightly off its original in a satisfyingly disorienting fashion. A vision test at school is revelatory: "Do you know," the nurse asks gently, "that most people see only one?" This small episode, taken from the author's own experience, is much more than bibliotherapy, even though it covers Ginny's remedial eye patch (hence the title). In single or double vision, Ginny simply glows. (Picture book. 4-8)

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June 1, 2010
K-Gr 2-Ginny suffers from undiagnosed double vision, and seeing two of everything is causing her difficulties in school. On vision screening day, a nurse discovers the problem, and the prescribed eye patch gives Ginny a new identitythe pirate of kindergarten. Lyon's short, descriptive sentences set up the situation deftly, and Avril's astute chalk, pencil, and acrylic drawings of "two of everything" provide a vivid window into Ginny's pre-treatment world. It is not until the end of the story that Ginny declares herself a pirate, but as a metaphor for confidence and competence, her patch effectively declares her to be captain of her own ship. Julia Chen Headley's "The Patch" (Charlesbridge, 2006) is another story about a pirate with vision issues."Lisa Egly Lehmuller, St. Patrick's Catholic School, Charlotte, NC"

Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2010
Preschool-G Ginny enjoys kindergarten, but she does have some difficulties, and occasionally children laugh when she runs into chairs or reads lines of text twice. Her teacher notices that the child closes one eye to read, but on Vision Screening Day, the school nurse discovers that Ginny has double vision. When the doctor gives her a temporary eye patch, Ginny wears it with style and becomes a Kindergarten Pirate, suddenly better at numbers, scissors, and reading and no longer tense from concentrating in order to avoid mistakes. Created with pastels, acrylics, and colored pencils, Avrils bold and wonderfully vivid mixed-media illustrations sometimes portray the classroom through Ginnys eyes, with overlapping images of chairs, books, and people, though they usually present an outside perspective. Based on Lyons own experience, the sensitively written story radiates empathy and good humor. Even children who have not experienced Ginnys problem will understand her occasional frustration and find it intriguing that one person can literally see the world differently from another.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)