ARLO NEEDS GLASSES

What’s a dog to do when he can’t see as well as he used to?

Arlo the dog loves playing catch. But one day, he can’t catch anymore; the ball zooms right by him or bonks him on the nose. His owner is frustrated. Even after the owner shows Arlo how to catch, he still can’t do it. So it’s off to the eye doctor! The doctor uses a machine called a phoropter and asks Arlo to read an eye chart. His owner (who already has glasses) can read it clearly, but it’s blurry for Arlo. Arlo tries on a bunch of different glasses before finding the perfect pair (sensible half-moons with dog-bone accents on the sides). Arlo can play catch again, but the thing he likes to do best is read! Light on plot, this straightforward narrative is best geared toward those young ones needing or curious about glasses—or those who just like dogs. While the story is simple, the artwork is quirky, with some intentionally offbeat moments, like a dog being asked to read an eye chart or the zany rejected frames, though others are head-scratching: Arlo’s owner looks almost middle-aged on some pages, with thinning hair, but appears almost small, almost childlike, beside the eye doctor. Overall, the story’s cute but may not garner too many rereads. Arlo’s owner is light-skinned, while the eye doctor is tan-skinned.

Kooky fare to help bolster little ones before a trip to the eye doctor.