Ava’s Spectacular Spectacles

Alice Rex (text),  Angela Perrini (illus.), Ava’s Spectacular Spectacles, New Frontier, 1 June 2017,  32pp.,  $24.99 (hbk),  ISBN: 9781925059984

Ava hates wearing her glasses. Luckily, her teacher Mrs Cook shows her how her favourite fairy-tale characters would’ve benefited greatly from the use of spectacles! Hansel and Gretel, Little Red Riding Hood and Humpty Dumpty are just some of the personalities who may have needed a good optometrist.

Rex is brave here, going down a well-trodden narrative path – a kid who doesn’t like wearing their glasses. What elevates this story though is Ava’s teacher, Mrs Cook and her imaginative way of convincing her student to change her mind. Any book with a clever and kind teacher is always going to sway me!

Perrini’s illustrations are utterly charming. Huge eyes, covered by huge glasses, matched by broad smiles and thoughtful use of perspective will engage all readers.

Rex’s idea is an exciting one for teachers to adapt with their students – what else could fairy-tale characters have needed or used to change their plotlines? Could Cinderella have used a mobile phone? What if the Three Bears had had a home security system? The possibilities are numerous and the results are potentially hilarious.

Reviewed by Madeleine Crofts

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