NOT ALL HEROES WEAR CAPES
And Some Wear Glasses
There is no shortage of fictional characters who wear glasses. Velma Dinkley, the brains of “Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated,” is known as much for her dependence on her glasses as she is for her intelligence. Superman’s alter ego, Clark Kent, wears glasses to protect his identity as the Man of Steel. These characters are iconic, but much of their identity is tied to their glasses. Fortunately, there are many main characters in children’s literature who wear glasses without being written as timid, ultrasmart cliches. Here are a few of them. A major plot point of the book “Junie B. Jones: First Grader (At Last!)” is that she must start wearing glasses. She is worried about what her classmates might think of her at first, but Junie soon finds that glasses are nothing to be afraid of. Her character offers encouragement to young children who are self-conscious about wearing glasses. JUNIE B. JONES
perhaps better known for being the main character of “Arthur,” the second-longest-running animated TV series of all time. The first episode, which aired in 1996 under the title “Arthur’s Eyes,” recounts the story of how Arthur got his glasses and endured teasing from his classmates but ultimately became confident wearing them. “Arthur” is still on the air, and his glasses now blend seamlessly with his character, letting children everywhere know that their glasses do not have to define them. Potentially one of the most famous fictional characters of all time, this young wizard sports a pair of round lenses for all seven books of his adventures with his friends at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. In a world filled with a magical cure for many ailments, readers often wonder why Harry never simply uses magic to fix his eyes. J.K. Rowling, the author of the series, HARRY POTTER
has said that she grew up wearing glasses and wanted a book in which the hero wore glasses too. “Harry Potter” is the best-selling book series of all time as of February 2018, selling 500 million copies worldwide.
ARTHUR READ
This anthropomorphic aardvark started out as a book character created by Marc Brown, but he’s
HAVE A LAUGH
Asparagus and AVOCADO SOUP Inspired by CookEatPaleo.com
INGREDIENTS • 12 ounces asparagus • 1 tablespoon olive oil • 2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped • 2 cups chicken stock • 1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and cubed • Juice of 1/2 lemon • 1 tablespoon ghee or coconut oil • Salt and pepper, to taste
DIRECTIONS
1. Heat oven to 425 F.
2. On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss asparagus and garlic with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast for 10 minutes. 3. Transfer asparagus to blender. Add remaining ingredients and puree until smooth.
4. Season to taste and serve.
773-788-6974 | 3
Made with FlippingBook Learn more on our blog