SPECS FOR REX by Yasmeen Ismail. Illustrated by author. Bloomsbury Children's Books: New York, 2015. First published in Great Britain by Bloomsbury Publishing Pic in 2014. 32p. ISBN 978-1-61963-7108 $16.99   Gr. K-2   E PIC
If you wore glasses in grade school, this story will bring back memories, good and bad, of the first days after receiving those "specs."  Every normal routine is turned upside down because the glasses get in the way and the look of your face is forever changed.  Rex tried to hide his glasses under his hair on the way to school, in his sandwich during lunch, and under a layer of paint in art class.  When Rex accidentally found a missing item for the teacher, she attributed it to the power of his glasses, causing other students to compliment him also.  This put a positive spin on the "specs" and Rex's attitude toward them.  The watercolor illustrations are basic and creative and quite effective insupporting the story, making this book a great read-aloud for classrooms and any facility that houses children who wear glasses.
Lynette Suckow, Superiorland Preview Center, Marquette, MI