Annie and her daughter Aubrie sent us this review of the book Randy Kazandy, Where Are Your Glasses? By Rhonda Fischer, Art By Kim Sponaugle
Aubrie and I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The pages were filled with colorful images & each page had glasses on it. Some of the glasses were hidden & some were not. This made reading the book especially fun because Aubrie really enjoyed searching the pages to see how many glasses we could spot!
Randy Kazandy had to get glasses in this story because he saw in double. At first he really hated his glasses, and he would do anything he could think of to get rid of them. He threw them in the garbage, put them in sand, and even let the car back over them – anything he could imagine he tried! Every time he broke his glasses, his Mom would offer him a new pair.
I think this struggle is something we, as parents to small children in glasses, can relate to very well! By the end of the story, Randy’s father showed Randy his own new glasses which helped him convince Randy Kazandy that glasses aregreat! Randy Kazandy then loved his glasses and wanted to try out lots of different glasses & colors.
Reviewed by Annie & Aubrie
For Little Eyes 
Sounds great. We need that book in our waiting area!
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Not only do you need this book in your waiting room, you need to be carrying the great Randy Kazandy glasses that are now being developed. It will be the first kids glasses that contain NO LEAD. Sales Reps will soon be hitting the pavement to let you see the new hip Randy Kazandys that will also be for babies to adults. We are all excited about this little hero Randy Kazandy and how he is helping kids adjust to their glasses. Well you be a Randy Kazandy Fan with us? The glasses will take 3 to 6 months in development. Any ideas would greatly be appreciated and it might get you on Radio Disney with me, the author! Spread the word!
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Randy, I realize from your bio that you are not an optician and that are rightfully excited about the book, but I am a little concerned about the lead comment.
It wouldn’t be impossible to image that some cheap frames did have some errant lead paint that slipped through because msot frames are made in China, but to the best of my knowledge, no modern frames contain lead. Metal frames contain nickle and copper, sometimes iron and sometimes titanium, but I have never heard of a any frames containing lead.
Can you point me to a reference about lead in children’s frames? If it is true it would truly be a major health hazard. During my residency, I saw patients with significant problems due to lead poisoning from old lead paint in their homes, and it is very sad.
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HI Nathan,
We now have a package deal with 10 Randy Kazandy books for Optometrists offices. Please let us know if you are interested by calling 913-294-2894. We will be getting the word out around the country,
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Randy Kazandy! Where Are Your Glasses?
Great idea for your waiting room
or as a holiday gift!
Randy Kazandy, Where Are Your Glasses? was rated the best children’s book for the fall through SheKnows.com magazine. Randy Kazandy also won Book of Excellence through Creative Child Magazine and highly recommended through Parenting Magazine! The book is helping kids all around the nation adjust to eyeglasses in a fun and clever way. Randy’s motto of loving himself is reflected into the minds of children as they read this musical rhyme over and over again. Randy doesn’t like glasses but his mom is a detective and keeps her keen eye on her rambunctious child. Mom is like a rocket who takes off into action as Randy tries to ditch his specs at every turn. Mom is loaded and ready to fire by bringing out a new pair of glasses, then another pair, then another. Will she win this war with Randy? This is a must have book for everyone. The illustrations are vibrant and beautifully drawn by Kim Sponaugle, fun filled and packed with surprises. This book is very unpredictable with hidden glasses throughout the story for the detective in your child to find. This amazing children’s book has a keepsake message that is “I love being me!”
Randy Kazandy, Where Are Your Glasses? will be the highlight on Radio Disney Shows around the country. The Essilor Vision Foundation and the Kids Vision for Life Coalition invited Rhonda to be in Dallas, Texas in January to read her story to the children along with former first lady Laura Bush.
Written by Rhonda Fischer and Illustrated by Kim Sponaugle
Randy Kazandy is a trademark property of Whim Publishing.
All images © copyrighted. All Rights Reserved.
*Discounts available for bulk orders of 20 or more – email jzupnick@jobson.com
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I’ve reviewed Randy Kazandy, Where Are Your Glasses, I found it to be cute, whimsical, and fun. The rhyming story is quite lyrical, miles ahead of any other rhyming book I’ve seen in a long time. The artwork is fabulous, the colors are bright, and the pictures as cute as they can be. Not only is the story and art first class, the book itself is made to the highest standards in the industry, printed in the USA, which means it’s free of lead and other contaminants that might harm small bodies. It’s made to last, the children that get it now will be able to hand it down to their children. If you’re going to buy any children’s book, this is the one to buy. Yes, it’s a little more than most, but well worth the few extra dollars for something made so well.
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Oh I’m excited that there may be Randy Kazandy glasses too! Hopefully by July – our annual eye exam for Aubrie – some will be available 🙂
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Hi Annie,
If your child was impacted on the book Randy Kazandy, please email me at gotmusic6@yahoo.com as we are sending a press release around the nation and would like to include your daughter. Thanks.
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As far as lead goes I had my marketing director research lead in children’s books. Books printed in China not only contain lead but contain many contamints. Two bodies of water are so toxic that if you swim in them you die. My husband has worked in China for many years and they don’t care what they put in their products as long as it is the cheapest way possible. Jobson Optical says that lead is beginning to become a problem everywhere. As I sit here chomping on the end of my reading glasses I throw them on the table thinking “do these have lead” I want to know for sure. It should be answered in a yes or no, not left in wonderment. We need to keep our children safe. I used Worzalla as my printer in the USA with documentation that the book is lead free. Yes, it cost more but Whim Publishing cares about not only the children but parents and grandparents who read the books to kids as well. Washing your hands after reading books from China is a very good idea. Your right some frames probably don’t contain lead, but Randy Kazandy will be a lead free line or it won’t be on kids faces. It will have documentation to prove it. Here is the article on the Whim Publishing Website about lead. We need to snap into action. We have kids with ADD, two people in my own family have mild autism. Where does it come from. Kids are being medicated right and left in this country from unknown causes. I just heard a doctor today saying ADD could come from not getting a good night sleep. If that is truly the case, what do you think the lead is doing?
Whim Publishing takes a look at the contamination in children’s books.
D. Broughton, WP News Service
All the press about contaminated children’s products coming in from foreign countries, and the press about the new Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act prompted a look at an area I deal with regularly, children’s books. The information available is either written in legal terms most people wouldn’t understand, or is simply guesswork. The law itself is well understood in intent, but how it’s being implemented isn’t understood by hardly anyone, including most attorneys, since the regulations by which the law is being defined are in a continuing state of flux, changing almost daily. At the time of this writing, early March, the law and it’s regulations are little understood, even though as of Feb. 10, children’s products with lead content more than 600 parts per million cannot be sold in the U.S. That drops to 300 ppm in August. The law also sets limits on phthalates, a plastic softener that has been linked to liver disease and cancer.
Only one small publisher I could find would discuss the issue openly with the media. Rhonda Fischer of Whim Publishing, home of Randy Kazandy, Where Are Your Glasses?, had this to say: “We made sure from the outset that our products were produced in the USA by a reputable printer, certified by the EPA as a ‘green’ company. Worzalla book manufacturers have provided us with documentation detailing all the tests that have been done on their inks, papers, and other supplies. They meet or exceed the Federal guidelines in every area. They seem to understand the law better than anyone. Finding such a printer wasn’t easy, nor inexpensive, but the lives of children are much too important to leave it to chance, or worry about a few dollars difference in price. As I understand it, lead is a big issue with the products coming in from overseas, mostly China, as well as mercury, and a number of carcinogens. Our products are certified lead free and child safe, and proudly announce this fact right on the cover. I believe we’re the first publisher to do so.”
When asked what she understands about the new CPSIA law, Mrs. Fischer replied: “I understand it about as much as anyone does, and fully agree with the intent of the law. We were concerned with the problem before it became big news. Regulations or not, we were looking to have safe product from the outset. I understand that some publishers are now stuck with books they can’t legally sell. I let my legal team deal with technicalities. They have trouble keeping up with the nearly daily changes in regulations and interpreting it all as it applies to our books. The law is aimed at many products, and includes packaging. I can see how many publishers might be confused, it’s a confusing situation. By using a quality U.S. printer like Worzalla, we stayed away from a majority of the problems associated with the law; such things as leaded ink have been outlawed in the states for many years now.”
So, all in all, what does this mean for the publisher of children’s books? The details may remain a mystery to most as the regulations keep changing. For sure, it means the publisher of children’s books must tread very carefully, the fines for violating this law can be in excess of a hundred thousand dollars for each infraction. Whether each book constitutes an infraction, or one print run is an infraction, is still not known. Even the division of the government making the regulations, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, isn’t sure yet. It seems the best way to be sure to be in compliance with the law is to use a reputable American printer and book binder. Parents, check to see where the book for your young child was printed, safely dispose of any that were printed in China. It adds insult to injury that the books must be disposed of as a hazardous material.
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