Eye: How It Works by David Macaulay (review)

A smart smack in the head with a soccer ball launches this easy reader nonfiction discourse on how we see what we see. Given the set-up, the first topic is pretty obvious: sockets in the skull, surrounding fat, and six muscles that “keep your eyeballs from popping out” are the first line of defense for the delicate organ. Explanation of how vision actually works is then divided into two parts. First Macaulay traces the passage of light through the cornea and pupil, past the lens and vitreous body, and onto the retina. After pausing for a review in a kid-styled diagram, he proceeds on to the transmission and processing of information to the brain and how corrective lenses correct common problems of vision associated with misshapen eyeballs. Discussion of complicated brain function is admittedly reduced to an illustration of a hypothetical thought process, but otherwise, material is presented in a well-paced text appropriately geared to newly independent readers. A glossary will assist readers retrieve or clarify concepts and the humorous illustrations readers have come to expect from Macaulay (the eyeball under construction in the closing spread is not only clever, but a great tool for recalling details) will not disappoint. Lists for further print and online reading are included.