cover image The Boy with Square Eyes

The Boy with Square Eyes

Juliet Snape. Prentice Hall, $12.95 (32pp) ISBN 978-0-13-080524-9

Like The Day the TV Blew Up (see above), this moral tale, subtitled ``A Tale of Televisionitis,'' pokes fun at the TV viewing habits of the young. Charlie's eyes (and vision) become square through a surfeit of TV watching. Clever color illustrations show the world as Charlie sees it: everything from toothpaste to tomatoes to his own tears are cube-shaped. The only cure is to unplug the TV and read, draw pictures, do puzzles, ``look at the sky and wonder why.'' Although the story is pointedly didactic, it is handled with a light touch, and the well-rendered pictures carry off the farce. As good-humored social commentary, this may not convert TV addicts into born-again readers, but it should provoke chuckles among the target audience and their parents. Many in the audience will find themselves nodding in recognition. Ages 8-10. (July)