"I love how you see the world. You have magic eyes. Don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise."

As a child I wondered if we all saw the colors the same. I was very curious about it. Though I didn't know about color blindness yet. That question continued to interest me into adulthood.

The writer, Jaxon Corey, is a young author (ten years old) with a unique perspective on life as someone with color blindness himself. It's really nice to see young people be edited by publishing houses, spreading their words, their stories, their view of the world. It's encouraging to other children and to people in general...

"He felt like the world had lost its magic. Everything felt so... ordinary."

I really loved how the colors are painted and used in the illustrations. It's both informative and beautiful. Also it makes inclusivity for people with color blindness. People who see the world differently. It made the book even more colorful.

"He missed seeing the world in rainbows."

#JaxonsMagicEyes #NetGalley

A look at colour blindness in children - from a child with colour blindness. This character Jaxon finds out, courtesy much derision at an art lesson, that he really can't see the world in anything like the way the rest of us can - and so his firm wish is to have colour-correcting lenses for his glasses, that rectify things for him, and show the sky as blue, the grass as green, etc etc. But when he gets them, that's when he realises that this POV is perhaps just too - well, humdrum. Now I'm no expert - I thought colour blindness just made you see greys and not know, perhaps, if things were really red or green, but Jaxon's outlook, where everything is a van Gogh-esque kaleidoscope, is not a bad way to exaggerate the condition, if that is what this actually is doing. It certainly seems to make things much more vivid for him, and therefore for us, as these pages present themselves really boldly. A nice look at one specific way in which we can and should celebrate our differences if we have them, this is a strong four stars.

I've had some curiosity about color blindness, and I think this book offers a wonderful way of looking at it, quite literally from the lens of someone with color blindness. I love how eventually Jaxon begins to accept it as truly a gift rather than a deficit that sets him apart from the rest. It is also such a small thing that you don't see people discuss and talk about it when there really are so many with different types and extents of color blindness. Heidi Rodis paired Jaxon's very mature and engaging storytelling with gorgeous illustrations that perfectly highlight what the world looks like from Jaxon's eyes.

I loved the colorful backgrounds, the story was nice and heartwarming, but a bit too simple and educational even for children. The plot was very simplistic.

A short but engaging read, Jaxon’s Magic Eyes is especially compelling for kids because it’s written by a young author drawing from his personal experience.

Heidi Rodis’s artwork is a standout. Her impressionist style evokes the dreamlike visuals of the Robin Williams film What Dreams May Come. The brushwork and color palette effectively convey Jaxon’s unique visual perception and illustrate just how fully colorblindness alters his view of the world.

However, the book would benefit from a bit more context. Young readers will be left with lingering questions: What causes colorblindness? Are there different types? How do the special glasses actually work? A brief explainer at the end could have added valuable educational content without interrupting the narrative.

The message also feels slightly muddled. While Jaxon clearly learns to appreciate his unique perspective, there’s also a sense of unease about the cost of the glasses. The depiction of his experience with them also comes off as overly optimistic (almost like an ad for EnChroma) showing a dramatic improvement in color perception that doesn’t seem to reflect the typical user experience with those lenses.

Overall, Jaxon’s Magic Eyes is a lovely, thoughtful, and visually rich book that could have been even more impactful with just a bit more background information.

Thanks to Mascot Kids and NetGalley for providing an advance reading copy.

Very good book. I read it to my kids ages 3 and 7 and they learned a lot. They are not color blind and didn’t understand what it meant until after this book! Thank you for raising awareness! The graphics were beautiful and aided the story well.

Jaxon’s Magic Eyes is a thoughtful, beautifully illustrated story that truly touched me. As someone married to a colorblind partner, the central message really hit home. It’s a gentle reminder that we all perceive the world differently—and that empathy is something we’re never too young to learn.

The bright, expressive illustrations easily draw young readers in. This would be a fantastic book to read aloud at home, in classrooms, or therapy settings when discussing emotions and understanding others.

📚 Thank you to NetGalley and Amplify Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A Beautiful Story About Seeing the World Differently

Jaxon’s Magic Eyes is a heartwarming children’s book that explores what it means to be different, and how those differences are something to celebrate. Jaxon, a boy who is colorblind, is teased when he proudly shares a drawing that doesn’t look “right” to the other kids. When his parents buy him special glasses that allow him to see colors like everyone else, the world suddenly feels ordinary.

This book does a good job capturing the internal struggle many children feel about fitting in, and the beauty of learning to embrace who you are. The story teaches a valuable lesson about perspective and self-acceptance which is important for all ages.

As the parent of a grown son who is colorblind, I found this book especially touching. I wish something like this had existed when he was a child. It would have helped him feel understood in a world that often favors sameness. Jaxon’s Magic Eyes is a treasure for any child (or adult) learning to appreciate what makes them unique. #jaxsonsmagiceyes #netgalley

In Jaxon's Magic Eyes, Jaxon Corey learns that his unique ability to see the world a bit differently is indeed a portal into a much brighter and more vivid world. With brightly detailed illustrations, Jaxon discovers through an art project that his world is different from his classmates, but his ability to see in a much more varied range of colors is more of a gift than a disability. Young readers will love exploring the world of a characters described as having "color blindness" and how his difference affects his resilience and determination to overcome challenges-- including how he is approached by his own peers.

Thank you to Netgalley, and the publisher and author for an advanced reader copy of Jaxon's Magic Eyes.

This childrens book is a beautifully illustrated represention of an invisable disability and why sometimes those of us that are disabled don't always need to be "fixed." Jaxon is colorblind and receives magic glasses that make it so that he can see the world in color - the exact same way everyone else see's the world! After this , he realizes that maybe (pun intended) the grass isn't always greener on the other side. Jaxon misses the way the sidewalk used to sparkle, now it's just gray.

I believe this story shares a wonderful moral, as all childrens books should. The moral that we should love ourselves the way we are and also be kind to others who may not be like us. I think the art work is also beautiful!

I am looking forward to purchasing this for my little one when it's released!

This book was a huge hit for my pre-schooler (who may have liked it purely due to a shared name with the main character, but that’s neither here nor there!).

As a much more common occurrence than most people realize, this story is a beautiful and eye opening introduction to young readers of the experience of someone with color blindness, and how important kindness is. We loved that Jaxon decided to live his authentic self and keep his magic eyes!

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a cute book that I read to my 9 year old son. My son has dyslexia and apraxia of speech and is “different.” While he didn’t say it out loud, I could tell he found comfort reading about another person that was different than everyone else. My son says five stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.

This is the first time I have come across a book that talks about color blindness. It is a good inclusive book that shows kids that we all see and experience the world differently. The author does a great job describing color blindness. I was impressed that this was written by a fifth grader that shows his point of view. The colors Jaxon sees makes the world seem more interesting. The illustrations are beautiful and the colors used really emphasize how magical Jaxon's eyes are. It blends the story together perfectly.

This story is about a 10yo boy who is colorblind. He learns to appreciate the way he sees the world. I’ve only know adults who are colorblind, my husband being one, so it was cool to hear the perspective of an elementary kid in the story. I recommend for any kid/family.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Thanks to NetGalley and Amplify Publishing for the ARC of this one. As a mom of neurodivergent boys, I love seeing books about children with differences. This was a beautiful book and I loved how Jaxon in the end loved his eyes and the way they are!

Recommend-O-Meter: Yes!

What an adorable read! Getting to see the world from a different perspective is always a treat, and doubly so when it’s told so earnestly like in this book.

The art is lovely and just the right tough of whimsical. In a story focused on seeing, it’s important to be able to show readers at least some of what the author means, and I think it was done very well here.

Overall, a very sweet and heartwarming story of difference and acceptance!

This is a good book to read with kids for a couple of reasons.

1. To be empathetic to everyone regardless of visible or invisible disabilities.
2. As a talking point on how to react when someone is being made fun of.
3. The different kinds of issues people/kids can face and how to be supportive of them, without being condescending.

The illustrations are really bright and colorful, but since we don't have color-blindedness, I'm not sure how it appears to those who are. We are familiar with amblyopia so even though the book wasn't for us directly, we were still able to relate and enjoy.

This was such a great read for a childrens book. My son is also is 5th grade and wears glasses. Although he is not color blind he can connect to this story. Great read!

Thank you Netgally for this digital review copy. I was immediately interested in this book after reading the description since my dad is also color blind. This book is written by 10 year old Jaxon and is his own personal story. Jaxon is the main character of the book and he loves his magic eyes that let him so many different colors. Until one day at school the kids tease him over his artwork. Jaxon no longer wants to see the world with his magic eyes. This is a great book that highlights accepting yourself as you are.

This was a very sweet book about color blindness and accepting yourself how you are my 3yo loved how pretty the pictures are