Most of the books on our children’s book list are about getting glasses.  But once kids are used to having their glasses, they may not be so interested in those story lines.  Here are some children’s book series in which a main character wears glasses, even if the plot in most of the books doesn’t center around wearing glasses (in some of these books, glasses aren’t even mentioned).  These are roughly in reading level order with the books for younger kids at the top, though some of the series have a range of reading levels, and even the longer chapter books can be fun to read out loud with preschoolers.  We’ve read books from all of these series out loud with Zoe.

Elephant & Piggie series, by Mo Willems

• Character in glasses: Gerald the Elephant
• Is there a book about the character getting glasses?  No
• About the books: Despite being quite different, Gerald the elephant and Piggie are good friends, and these fun picture books follow their adventures together.  Most of the books have simple story lines that center around friendship and having fun.  They’re great to read aloud, and are quite short, which makes them good for younger kids with shorter attention spans.
• Website: (also check out the Teachers and the Fun sections for some Elephant & Piggie related activities)

Arthur series, by Marc Brown

• Character in glasses: Arthur the Aardvark
• Is there a book about the character getting glasses? Yes, Arthur’s Eyes follows Arthur’s trip to the eye doctor, and his reluctance to wear glasses.
• About the books: Arthur books are probably the first books people think of when they think of a book series with a character in glasses.  The books follow the day to day adventures of Arthur and his family and his friends.  They can be quite funny.  There are a lot of Arthur books and they span a range of reading levels, from short stories to longer chapter books.
• Website (this is for the Arthur books), you can also check out the website the PBS kids TV show about Arthur.

Gilbert and Friends series, by Diane deGroat

• Character in glasses: Gilbert
• Is there a book about the character getting glasses?  No
• About the books: Gilbert is an opossum with spiky hair and glasses.  Most of the books follow the adventures of Gilbert and his friends at school in first grade.  The books range in difficulty, but all of them have lovely, colorful illustrations throughout.
• Website

Katie Woo series, by Fran Manushkin, illustrated by Tammy Lyon

• Character in glasses: Katie Woo
• Is there a book about the character getting glasses? No, but Who Needs Glasses? is about Katie’s friend Pedro who needs glasses and does not like them at first.  Katie helps her friend see why they’re important.
• About the books: Katie is fun-loving, curious, and outgoing girl.  The books center around her and her friends, Pedro and JoJo, and her family.  These are early chapter books, each with three short chapters, and bright illustrations on each page.  The books also have discussion and writing prompts at the end.
• Website

Junie B, First Grader series, by Barbara Park

• Character in glasses: Junie B. Jones
• Is there a book about the character getting glasses? Yes, in Junie B. Jones, First Grader at Last, Junie starts first grade, and learns that she needs glasses.
• About the books:  The Junie B. Jones books start out with Junie in kindergarten.  When she gets to first grade, the series is name Junie B, First Grader, and the “B” in the logo is actually her pair of purple glasses.  Junie is funny and loud and always says what she’s thinking, often to the embarrassment of her parents or teachers.  The books are longer chapter books with fewer illustrations.
• Website

Magic Tree House series, by Mary Pope Osborne

• Character in glasses: Jack
• Is there a book about the character getting glasses? No
• About the books: The Magic Tree House books about about siblings Jack and Annie.  They discover a magic tree house filled with books.  By reading the books in the tree house, they are transported to the times and locations in that book.  These are longer chapter books with fewer illustrations.
• Website

As always, if I’ve missed a series, please let me know!