Customer Reviews

My Travelin' Eye

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(0)
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This cheerful picture book by new author Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw is dear to my heart as my son also has a wandering or travelin' eye. I wish I'd had this book when he had to wear a patch and glasses to school for the first time. Jenny Sue, in a loving manner, portrays, through her text and illustrations, what it is like for a child with a travelin' eye.

In this semi-autobiography of herself as a little girl Jenny Sue describes how she saw the world with each eye and the gift each eye gave to her, one an artist and the other a navigator. However, when she had to wear a patch and glasses, how did she cope with suddenly seeing in a different way and with the pointing of the other children? Young readers will be entranced to find out.

The mixed media illustrations are delightful and inspire children to turn the pages just to see what they can find in each picture: counting opportunities, finding objects, and trying Jenny Sue's art activities. Teachers and parents will also find this an inspiring book for their children with wandering eyes, or for a unit on understanding disabilities. This picture book is highly recommended for young children, ages 3-8.

My Travelin' Eye is delightful. It's such a creative approach to the topic of strabismus. It isn't easy to find stories to explain eye problems to children. This is perfect. The illustrations are such fun -- especially the 'fashion-patches' and ophthalmologist's office.

Hands down a must have for ANY child. My five year old daughter may not be dealing with a "travelin' eye", but this book has proven to be a creative, colorful, compassionate way to teach her about the differences that we all have. She has also come to appreciate how Jenny, and other kiddos she might know, might be feeling about their differences. Jenny did a phenomenal job of capturing childrens' attention with her illustrations and bright colors, but what makes this book truly stand out from the rest is her the way she approaches what could have been an awkward subject with pure honesty and humor. Thanks for sharing your gifts!

I'm a grown woman who had strabismus as kid, and I have to admit, I teared up a little when I read this book. The author knows first hand what kids with this ailment have to go through- trying to be accepted by their peers, feeling "lost" and dizzy, and having very real fears about seeing an eye doctor for the first time. My favorite page is an illustration of the little girl, alone in her room, where she's kind of hit a low point. It sounds depression, but it's not. It's just this very personal looking illustration, as if this author had actually been there herself at some point. But then, come morning, sure enough, things look up. Her mom helps her do some art on her patches, she starts to feel better inside, and her friends begin to see her in a new light. It's a great message for any kid, really. How a positive outlook, coupled with contentment with present circumstances, creates joy inside and out. Highly recommend. - J.S. Johnson

I was nervous when my 4 yr old was diagnosed with amblyopia because I didn't think my willful girl was going to take to wearing the patch. Well....I was right! The first few days were nightmarish, even though we used puffy paint and decorated the pirate-style patch from the drug store.

I ordered My Travelin' Eye the day after her diagnosis, and as soon as we got it, she asked for it to be read to her every day, sometimes twice a day. She loves the book and now accepts the need to wear her patch. She knows which is her "travelin' eye" and is anxious to go back to the doctor to learn if she will need glasses. She WANTS GLASSES NOW! We'll see when the day comes - but I truly don't know how we would have managed this speedbump without this book. It is priceless in our collection. We're still reading it at least 4 times a week.

If you have a young child who needs to wear a patch - this book might be just what you need!!

I had the AWESOME opportunity to meet and spend a couple days with Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw when she visited our school. Jenny Sue took time out of her busy schedule to send the message to our students...with hard work & determination, you can overcome your shortcomings & achieve your goals, WHATEVER they may be. Jenny Sue is as DELIGHTFUL as her work of art. Jenny Sue is a GREAT storyteller, as well as talented artist. My Travlin' Eye is a UNIQUE, WONDERFULLY illustrated book for all ages. I highly recommend this colorful book.

This is the story of a young girl who has a medical condition commonly known as "lazy eye". This is the story of how she is able to work with the doctors and over come her travelin' eye.


What did you like or not like about the book?

The little girl in the story was very cute and her parents showed unconditional love and understanding to the young girl.




Kids who may have the "lazy eye" can relate to the girl in the story and may learn an important lesson

I love how My Travelin' Eye makes it seem kind of boring to have normal vision. Jenny skillfully portrays how perceived disabilities, through an imaginative eye, become unique gifts through which to see the world. Jenny's illustrations ground her story in dynamic details that make for a wonderful travelin' feast. This is a keeper book.

"When I was born, I came out looking both ways." That's how Jenny Sue begins her beautifully illustrated children's book, My Travelin' Eye. She writes, draws, and colors her "own experience as a seven-year-old with a lazy, wandering eye, glasses, and a patch" into a charming memoir story for children.

Jenny Sue helps kids relate by sharing how she was sometimes made fun of, but she quickly turns the disadvantages of a travelin' eye into a positive experience. Most of us with a wandering eye (I originally wrote this review at 'Eyes Apart: living with strabismus') bemoan how our eyes won't work together. But Jenny Sue discovered that, "It's sort of like having a twin." Read the book to see how she took advantage of each eye's own unique functions, apart from the other.

Children will relate as she shares how scary it was when her good eye was patched and she was given big, thick, red glasses. Vision suffered, teachers chided, and kids pointed. She cried herself to sleep, but next morning she told her mother how she felt, and her mother helped her design her first fashion-patch. The patch and glasses did their magic, her vision improved, and soon she was making a new fashion-patch each day. She was the envy of her class as "all the kids at school wanted to wear a `fashion-patch,' but they couldn't, not without a note from their ophthalmologist." Jenny Sue illustrates 2 full pages of this 11.2 x 9.3 inch book with 24 different life-size eye patch designs that will get you started helping your child design their own creative eye patches.

Finally the day came -- her travelin' eye had "woken up," and her eyes were learning to work together. The patch was gone, but the glasses were here to stay. So Jenny Sue and her mom decorated them into fashion-glasses, and...you guessed it! Once again, all the kids at school wanted their own fashion-glasses, "but they couldn't, not without a special note from their ophthalmologist."

Jenny concludes her book with an inspirational note for all of us who see the world in different directions: "My travelin' eye still wonders sometimes," Jenny writes, "but that's the true nature of an artist -- to see the world in her own unique way."

This book is almost as much fun for adults as it is for children, and it will quickly become a favorite.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy from the author for review, but my review is my honest opinion of the book.

Kostecki-Shaw has created a visually enticing book and frames her Travelin' Eye as the heroine in this quirky tale about growing up with a difference. My children both love this book and love noticing all the whimsical details in the illustrations. It has a heart-warming and triumphant message that all children should hear, whether or not they wear glasses or have a "travelin' eye". This children's book celebrates how special it is to be unique.