Bear’s Lost Glasses
Leo Timmers
Gecko Press

Right from the cover illustration, young children will love being in the know as to the whereabouts of Bear’s glasses but the ursine character decides that he’s left them at Giraffe’s house so off he trots. Now sans specs, as he tells us, he ‘can’t see a thing’ but nevertheless he comments on various objects he passes en route to his friend’s, misidentifying them in turn as a deer, a crocodile, an elephant, a flamingo, each of which astonishes him.

He even fails to recognise Giraffe who is taking it easy on his lounger, calling him instead a snake. Bear apologies and explains his plight; Giraffe then ‘returns’ the glasses to their owner, which allows Bear to uphold his original notion.

Bear goes on to tell his pal of the unusual sights he’s seen en route and eager to see them for himself, Giraffe accompanies the now bespectacled Bear as he makes his way back the same way he came. Of course, neither spots the flamingo nor the elephant,

the crocodile or the deer though a confused Bear blames his glasses. These he then removes and goes on to point out to Giraffe, three lions nearby.

A terrific, tongue-in-cheek comical delight that puts forward the possibility that seeing with one’s imagination is preferable to viewing reality. Little ones will relish Timmers’ tale of discovering – albeit accidentally – new ways of seeing the world and loudly correcting him with regard to the misidentifies flora and fauna.