Follow My Leader

by Amanda P on 2012-01-24
I read this to my dd 6 and ds4. They both loved it, followed the story well and everyday were waiting to know what happened. They talked about the book together and told others about it as well. The character development was great and there was so much to talk with my kids about overcoming adversity. They have kept this story with them and refer back to it often.

by Rachael S on 2011-08-09
I agree with the benefits that this book has to offer that others have mentioned. However, this was the ONE book in the read alouds from the 1st grade core that my children and myself found incredibly boring. It is somewhat over a first graders head and I found that even I struggled to keep my interest in the book. Bummer.

by Natalie A on 2011-06-01
The kids (ages 6 & 8) and I loved this book. Very good way to allow readers to see what life is like for a blind person - to see their challenges but to see them as people just like us.

by Kari C on 2011-01-28
We truly loved this book. I thought it was perfectly age appropriate. Our 4 year old even sat in and listened because she wanted to hear and quite often our boys (6 and 7) said 'please read more'. In regards to the review by Helen H....a lot has changed since this book was written and first published. I'm sure at the time it was originally printed even seeing eye-dogs were not allowed in school and most parents were not trained either. It gave us a great chance to discuss how things have changed and now seeing-eye-dogs truly can go everywhere. We will definitely read this one again!

by Rebekah M on 2011-01-27
It was a good story and there were some great lessons. However, the chapters were very long for 6 year olds to listen to. I see that most people that really enjoyed the book were 8 years old. We are doing this as part of the 1st grade curriculum. Perhaps it would be better suited for later.

by KATHERINE B on 2010-05-07
We loved this book, and it also helped us to relate to several blind neighbors that we have.

by DEANNA I on 2010-04-11
My 7 year old son really enjoyed this book. I agree that the book had a few faults as I've read in some of the other reviews, but for our experience the good far outweighed the negatives. This book made my son think about what it would be like to be blind and gave him more understanding for people who are blind. For example, he made up a game using the clock number positions that the main character, Jimmy, used for directional purposes. This book was so timely. There was the cutest little blind girl at his swim lessons that he noticed and would stare at. This book came up to read in the schedule soon after meeting her. Also, we finished the book the night before Easter. (My son asked to be read the last chapter again, by the way.) The next day at Easter dinner at my parent's house, one of their friends had invited a friend who was blind. Having already read this book made it so much easier for my children to treat and talk to him with respect and normalcy. I was so thankful! Thank you Sonlight for a wonderful read aloud.

by HELEN H on 2009-09-01
I actually was not totally impressed by this book. There were many good things about it, which are mentioned above, especially the way he forgave his friend was very mature and well done. But I felt that Jimmy's mother needed training in using the guide dog which she did not get and only Jimmy could teach her. However, that was not appropriate for the mother-son relationship and I felt it was strained. Mom wanted the dog to sleep outside, Jimmy (disobediently) insisted the dog was supposed to sleep in his room, which was of course true, and I felt Jimmy needed an advocate to teach his mother how this was supposed to work. I also was left with a bad feeling when Jimmy attended school without the guide dog, I think it must be illegal to not allow a blind person their guide dog in school! But again, Jimmy seemed to have no advocate. Also when the dog was quarantined...Jimmy had to stand up for himself but was only a kid and really had no vote. My daughter, however, loved it, and it was still a good conversation starter even with its faults.

by JOLENE D on 2009-08-10
One of our favorites! My girls learned so much about not judging and about how people cope with disabilities. We were talking about it for weeks after finishing it! A huge hit!

by BETH D on 2009-05-24
This is one of those books I wish I had been introduced as a young reader. Good story, enjoyed learning about things I would have never thought about. There is a lot of dialogue, so I did feel a little more worn out than other books, but it was totally worth it. I was amused by the fact that the main character and author are both the names of past presidents!