Baby Duck and the Bad Eyeglasses (by Amy Hest)

Grampa comes over and talks to her, and they discover they both have red frames on their glasses. Baby Duck sees she can still splash and twirl without her glasses falling off. Then the duck family goes boating, and Baby Duck can read her name on her new boat.

Baby Duck is down in the dumps again, and this time it's because of her new eyeglasses. Amy Hest and Jill Barton, creators of In the Rain With Baby Duck, have come back with another problem only Grampa can solve. The kindness of Grampa and the attempts of the concerned parents to cheer Baby up define this warmhearted book. Hest has captured the dynamic of the family relationship perfectly, although the writing here is less magical than in the first book.

This is a good read-alone for 5- and 6-year-olds but is not a very exciting read-aloud. This has to do partly with the topic, which may not appeal to toddlers. The oversize format and the colorful watercolors convey the duck's expressions, particularly when Grampa and Baby Duck look at each other's eyeglasses, beak to beak. This is a nice book, but it's nothing special.