The Best Children’s Books about Eyes

We just began a mini-unit on Animal Eyes in our homeschool. My son is four years old and is fascinated with all things human body. So, getting him hooked on the learning was not a problem. This post contains a list of children’s books about eyes. 

I have a more detailed post in the work on our Eye unit. In the meantime, this post introduces you to a wonderful book called Does an Owl Wear Eyeglasses? by Harriet Ziefert and Emily Bolam. This book is one of many in a “think about” series. It is the perfect children’s book about eyes to begin your learning and to ignite a child’s desire to want to learn more. We began our unit with this book.

Why You Need to Read these Children’s Books about Animal Eyes

Although I am a huge fan of real images, this book is too adorable not to adore. The book opens with a note to parents on how to use this book. Honestly, I entered this eye unit without much thought about the sensitivities dealing with the inability to see – What do you do if you are having trouble seeing? How do we treat those who cannot see? So, I appreciated the author’s guidance.

The artwork is simple and easy on the eye. The child can easily take in the illustrations. The book uses humor to get the child’s attention. She gets the child (and adult for that matter) to giggle before diving in with the details. The humor is used as a segue for the child to understand what makes these animals eyes so unique and special to their existence. The book covers the owl, goat, butterfly, fish, scallop, earthworm, monkey, and human.

The end touches on the obstacle many children face in their lives – not being able to see – and introduces the work of the ophthalmologist.  The book also includes types of glasses and a list of visual instruments such as a telescope, braille, and a magnifying glass.

Resources for this Activity

• Parts of the Eye Activity
• Eye Cross Section