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Whale Eyes

A Memoir About Seeing and Being Seen

Audiobook (Includes supplementary content)
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available
"A sincere reflection on childhood experiences of growing up in a world not built with him in mind."—Publishers Weekly, starred review
"A superb memoir that champions empathy and understanding on every level."—BookPage, starred review
"Lively, interactive...truly eye-opening."—Booklist, starred review
"Game-changing curriculum add for any teacher."—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred review
From Emmy Award–winning documentary filmmaker James Robinson comes a breathtaking illustrated memoir for middle-grade readers (and adults, too)—inspired by the viral, Emmy-nominated short film Whale Eyes.

Told through an experimental mix of intimate anecdotes and interactive visuals, this book immerses readers in James’s point of view, allowing them to see the world through his disabling eye conditions.
Readers will get lost as they chase words. They’ll stare into this book while taking a vision test. They’ll hold it upside down as they practice “pretend-reading”…and they’ll follow an unlikely trail toward discovering the power of words.
With poignant illustrations by Eisner Award–nominated artist Brian Rea, James’s story equips readers of all ages with the tools to confront their discomfort with disability and turn confused, blank stares into powerful connections.
* Whale Eyes is meant to be twisted, turned, and experienced. This audiobook includes a downloadable PDF with illustrations, experiments, photos, and interactive visual components. The PDF helps the listener experience the visual effects while they listen to author James Robinson read from a copy of the text.
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    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from January 6, 2025
      Filmmaker Robinson crafts
      an accessible and immersive account of growing up with strabismus, a condition of eye misalignment that causes difficulties with tracking objects, depth perception, and reading. Intermittent abstract artwork by Rea (Fixing Flamingos) depicts
      sight tests for readers to engage with throughout and help to illustrate how the subject navigated the world: how strabismus affected his performance
      in school, how he related to others, and how others perceived him. Using frank language, Robinson details the ableism he encountered from those he addresses as “starers”; he also recounts the loving efforts his mother took to ensure that he could engage with the world in meaningful ways, which influenced his path toward filmmaking. The debut author additionally describes the process of making a documentary, also titled Whale Eyes, about his youth, and how the film connected him to other people with visual impairments. Hoping to use his story to “entice the world into caring” about his experiences—and those of people like him—Robinson presents
      a sincere reflection on childhood experiences of growing up in a world not built with him in mind. Ages 10–up.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Author and narrator James Robinson combines his documentary filmmaking skills and familiarity with audiobooks to render his experience with serious visual disability in audio. Sound effects immerse the listener in Robinson's memories, like the ticking of the school clock as impatient classmates wait while he struggles to read. Slow pacing reflects the gravity of each memory. He sometimes inserts the confused conversations of friends and family who are puzzling out images of the world as he sees it. Other times, he provides insightful descriptions of images. He shares the difficulties associated with what he calls "whale eyes," the extraordinary help of his mother, and his eventual academic and professional success. Robinson's caring outlook and advice on society, specifically the disability community, is, unsurprisingly, visionary. L.T. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2025, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

Languages

  • English

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