Close Your Eyes

About the Book

One little girl who plays, learns, and has fun is just the same as all her friends—except that she cannot see. As she invites her friends and readers to close their eyes and see what she sees, the girl builds blocks, makes puppets with her socks, climbs a tree, rides a bike, and plays tag. She is having so much fun growing up. She teaches everyone around her that even though she is blind, she still has abilities, hopes, and dreams—even if she may have to do things in a different way. Close Your Eyes shares delightful rhymes and engaging illustrations to foster an understanding of what is possible for disabled children while encouraging acceptance of differences. “It is a hard concept for a young child to grasp that another child can’t see, but your focus on the humanness and similarity between children keeps a balance.” —Audra Kaplan, PsyD, clinical psychologist

About the Author

Michelle Friedman was legally blind until age thirty five; she lost the remainder of her vision more than twenty years ago. Since going blind, Michelle has learned to ride horses, sail, ski, knit, and make ceramics; most recently, she enjoyed flying in a hot air balloon. She is a school speaker and was a guest on the Oprah Winfrey Show. Michelle, a mother of three and grandmother of four, lives in a Chicago suburb with her husband and youngest son.