“Mr. Posey’s New Glasses” follows an older gentleman who has become bored with everything. Nothing is new and exciting anymore. His friend Andy, a kid who lives next door, is outside playing with his dog, Parker. Mr. Posey notices that Andy and Parker never seem to be bored. He decides he needs to get new glasses in order to make his life more exciting. Andy and Parker come along. They go to a thrift store and he tries on different types of glasses. The glasses change things, but not in the way he wants: star-shaped lenses only show the night sky and circular lenses make him feel like he’s spinning around!

You can tell that the book was written by a poet (former U. S. Poet Laureate Ted Kooser) because the descriptions are beautiful. The thrift store they go to is described as smelling like rose petals that have been kept in a shoe, and when he puts on the star glasses he hears an owl “hoo-hoo-hooing” faintly in the dark. The illustrations by Daniel Duncan are both funny and gorgeous and add to the descriptive text.

Written for ages six to nine, “Mr. Posey’s New Glasses” shows that sometimes all you have to do to make things seem exciting is to just look at things as if they are new, change your outlook (and clean your glasses)! A cute and fun book, but not necessarily a must-buy for your library.

Reviewed by Kate Radke, Walker Memorial Library, Westbrook.