Whale Eyes
A Memoir About Seeing and Being Seen
0 of 1 copy available
Wait time: About 4 weeks
"A superb memoir that champions empathy and understanding on every level."—BookPage, starred review
"Lively, interactive...truly eye-opening."—Booklist, starred review
"Game-changing curriculum add for any teacher."—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred review
From Emmy Award–winning documentary filmmaker James Robinson comes a breathtaking illustrated memoir for middle-grade readers (and adults, too)—inspired by the viral, Emmy-nominated short film Whale Eyes.
Told through an experimental mix of intimate anecdotes and interactive visuals, this book immerses readers in James’s point of view, allowing them to see the world through his disabling eye conditions.
Readers will get lost as they chase words. They’ll stare into this book while taking a vision test. They’ll hold it upside down as they practice “pretend-reading”…and they’ll follow an unlikely trail toward discovering the power of words.
With poignant illustrations by Eisner Award–nominated artist Brian Rea, James’s story equips readers of all ages with the tools to confront their discomfort with disability and turn confused, blank stares into powerful connections.
* Whale Eyes is meant to be twisted, turned, and experienced. This audiobook includes a downloadable PDF with illustrations, experiments, photos, and interactive visual components. The PDF helps the listener experience the visual effects while they listen to author James Robinson read from a copy of the text.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
March 18, 2025 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9798217018246
- File size: 102775 KB
- Duration: 03:34:05
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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Starred review from January 6, 2025
Filmmaker Robinson crafts
an accessible and immersive account of growing up with strabismus, a condition of eye misalignment that causes difficulties with tracking objects, depth perception, and reading. Intermittent abstract artwork by Rea (Fixing Flamingos) depicts
sight tests for readers to engage with throughout and help to illustrate how the subject navigated the world: how strabismus affected his performance
in school, how he related to others, and how others perceived him. Using frank language, Robinson details the ableism he encountered from those he addresses as “starers”; he also recounts the loving efforts his mother took to ensure that he could engage with the world in meaningful ways, which influenced his path toward filmmaking. The debut author additionally describes the process of making a documentary, also titled Whale Eyes, about his youth, and how the film connected him to other people with visual impairments. Hoping to use his story to “entice the world into caring” about his experiences—and those of people like him—Robinson presents
a sincere reflection on childhood experiences of growing up in a world not built with him in mind. Ages 10–up.
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