By Marc González Rossell

Octavio and His Glasses is unique for several reasons. The pages are a striking yellow, with only black and white contrasting the bright background. The story doesn’t follow the usual cute or sweet tone; it leans more into the dark and mysterious. The experience of getting new glasses is shown as transformative, though I had to read all the way to the end to fully grasp how. 

This book won’t appeal to every kid, but that’s part of its charm. I’ll be keeping it in the table bins in my library because I think it will spark curiosity. Kids of all ages might find themselves drawn in by the unusual visuals and compelled to puzzle out the ending. For a book with so little text, it delivers a surprisingly powerful punch. I can easily imagine readers coming back to it more than once, both to admire the visuals and confirm their understanding of Octavio’s journey.