Who hasn’t observed a young child mesmerized by a screen? Parents take advantage of this to distract their children when they, as the adult, have something else to do. It seems harmless, but is it?

This Dutch book offers a gentle and fair warning about the dangers of devices for children whose lives are meant to take place in the real world in real time. Children observe Bruno going for a walk with his two good friends, when he discovers…a cell phone! Bruno loves all that it can do so much that he has little need for anyone or anything else. How will this work out for him? Read this book with a child that you know to find out. The lesson is important for both kids and the ones who are in charge of them.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are m

I feel like the message of this book, that you can't give up your real friends for imaginary online "friends" is more pointed at the parents reading this book than to the children.. That being said, it's a great message and I really like the illustrations in the book. I received a free copy of this book from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A very cute book. I liked the illustrations. Another book with a message about not getting too wrapped up in Technology. Kids will enjoy it.

My son really enjoyed this book. It kept him engaged and loved the illustrations as well. Would definitely recommend!

I have a subtitle for this brisk and entertaining children's book: "The Magical Box and the Three Bears." The story and images are cute, clever and funny.

I believe "Bruno Has One Hundred Friends" is recommended for ages 5 and up, but I know a 3-year-old who would get a kick out of it.

The book seems to have a cliffhanger, leading me to wonder if there will be a sequel called "The Fox and the Phone."

Props to the brilliant Francesca Pirrone for this wonderful work in which she did the writing and the illustrating, and thanks to Clavis Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC.

It's scary to think that this book is even necessary for children, but alas, that is the case. Bruno finds a phone on his way to play with his friends. When asked what it was and what it was for, he quickly tells his friends, Renzo and Rico, that it is for making friends. Bruno gets so caught up with his phone and all it can do, that he stays in his house all day and ignores his "real" friends. Fortunately for Bruno, he does not know how to charge the phone when the battery dies, so he heads out for some comforting. Renzo and Rico don't hesitate to invite him to come along with them because they are still here and they are still his friends.

It amazes me when I see children as young as 4 or 5 with a cell phone. When I go out and about and see parents on their phones while their children sit there or go off to play, I am so sad. Our constant connectivity to others at the expense of those right beside us needs to be changed. This book has a very strong message about paying attention to the world right in front of us. I liked this story and think it will be more beneficial to the adults reading it to children than the child themself. I read this to my 6 year old grandson and was very attentive. He tends to be quite insular as he has autism, but he recognized right away that Bruno is going to lose his friends because he won't play with them. We talked about "virtual friends" vs "real friends" and because he doesn't have a cell or use things like facebook he didn't quite get it. He is very lucky, his parents are not attached to their phones, in fact, when I message them, they don't always respond because they don't see the message for a couple of hours. I wish more parents were like that. I definitely recommend this book to families and libraries, in fact, I would love to see it on a shelf that says, "Recommended".

This book, translated from Dutch, is very relevant for today's kids ( and adults ). Bruno finds a mobile phone in the forest one day while he and his friends are going off to fish. Curious, he picks it up and as soon as he does it flashes bright. He is mesmerized by its beauty and all the things that he can explore in it.

"Inside, Bruno finds extraordinary things: pictures he's never seen, words he's never read, sounds he's never heard. And above all, so many friends."

From that moment on he is under the spell of this magical box but sometimes stage, fanasty magic can become dark, black magic.

Bruno becomes obsessed with his new found toy and over-the-moon happy with all the ability it offers for making lots and lots of friends. He competely shuts out his friends as he becomes more and more absorbed in the wonders of his phone. He is on it at the dinner table, on the toilet and even at bedtime... totally neglecting his real friends Renzo and Rico. Oh my! That is not right to exclude them and hang with his phone friends.

Bruno and Ricko are very worried and want Bruno back. They invite him to go collecting honey with them and have a lovely picnic in the forest together but once again Bruno declines. Then the unexpected happens. The magical box doesn't light up any more. Bruno freaks out because he has lost his digital friends but will that reality cause him to realize the value of his real friends? Mmmmmmm???

The message is important and positive for children to learn at a young age. There's no substitute for the friends around you who love, care and want to spend quality time with you, in real time of course. The story ends with a fun cliffhanger... which wraps the tale up perfectly. I highly recommend this book.

This is such a good book about the importance of real friends and the dangers of being obsessed with cell phones.

This is a good book for children to show that the friends you can play with are more important that hundreds of virtual friends. Bruno discovers a phone and uses it to the exclusion of all else. After it stops working, he realizes that the only important friends are the two he has with him.

Even young children are becoming obsessed with screen time – moving, games, instant favorite television, programs that can be watched over and over, etc. This book helps to see what is really important. Easy to read with nice illustrations.

I received an ARC from Clavis Publishing through NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book. I am voluntarily submitting this review.

This kid's book is about a bear finding a phone, ignoring his friends but then realizing his actual friends are the ones in his physical world.
I think this is a great book for this day in age with everyone being so consumed by their phones and the internet. When the main bear was ignoring his friends while playing/talking to his online friends, even as an adult you can't help but to relate. Although I think it's great to connect and communicate with people online but you can't neglect your family/friends on your immediate environment.
The book also subtly showed that having a presence of social media isn't always as viable and ultimately as important as the friends in your life.
4/5

Would have liked to see the story developed a bit more. But I appreciated the theme. Having animals struggle with social media addiction feels poignant somehow.

I read this story to my three year old family friend and she started pointing out issues with the story and was bored while I read it. Before the story even ended she asked how the phone would be charged. Although the underlying message of the book being about real friends vs online friends I think is very important, the writing didn't really carry this through in an interesting way. I did however very much enjoy the artwork.

Bruno Has One Hundred Friends is a meaningful book for this day and age. While the message goes quickly and maybe feels a little glossed over, the meaning behind it is there and definitely one that kids need to hear these days. Bruno’s wonderful patient friends were amazing and I do wish a little more time was spent on them and patient they were with him, or maybe some spin-off books with them would be really nice! I think this is a good book with a great message for not only little kids, but people of all ages.

A very cute tale about how our phones distract us and we forget to interact with those that are right in front of us. The young children I nanny enjoyed the illustrations but did not understand the meaning of the story. But my daughter is 11 and related to the story and said she liked the message it sent. We are grateful to NetGalley for giving us the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a honest review.

Bruno Has One Hundred Friends is a relevant story for today's children. Bruno finds a device in the woods while walking with his two best friends, Rico and Renzo. This device is a phone. When Bruno sees that he has 100 friends, he begins to become obsessed with being on the phone. He spends day and night creating more opportunities to make friends. Rico and Renzo end up being left behind.

Although it is sad that today's children must be taught that real friends are better than "friends" they make online, this story is a sweet reminder to get off the phone and spend time around those we love. Bruno makes a wonderful example of a person having good intentions that becomes wrapped up in social media. This story would be more well-rounded if the author spent more time explaining the downfalls of always being on your phone. Overall, this is a great story for young children.

Bruno is on his way to spend time with his friends when he finds a curious object- a phone. Bruno quickly understands that the phone lets him do lots of new things and have experiences he has never had, but above all, it allows him to have many more friends. In fact, when his old friends, Renzo and Rico, ask him what this object is for, he doesn't hesitate: 'It's for making lots of friends all over the world'. Unfortunately, what happens next is a bit sad, because Bruno gets so absorbed in what is going on online, that he forgets to pay any attention to Renzo and Rico, who are trying very hard to involve him in 'real life' activities. Until one day the phone breaks and Bruno loses his virtual friends only to discover that Renzo and Rico are still there for him and will always be.

I am in two minds about this one. On one hand, it is important to make children think about the importance of real-life friendships and 'non-digital life'. Balance is essential, playing, running, climbing trees, cycling, discovering the world with your senses, chatting to real people you can look into eyes or give a hug is invaluable. On the other hand, there are benefits to using technology, not least of which is various online communities for people with similar interests, saying nothing of keeping in touch with real friends who happen to be far away. Again, it is up to the parent/ caregiver to talk with a child and discuss the implications and consequences of abandoning your older friends, when you could share your new discoveries and let your friends know how these enrich your life.

The artwork is sweet, with beautiful warm colours, and endearing pictures of the three bear friends.

Thank you to NetGalley and Clavis publishing for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

My nephew enjoyed this story and in a time where mobile phone use by children seems to be getting more prolific, this is a great way of explaining to children how important real-life friendships are to us as opposed to relying on online friendships.

A fun and unique look at how the cell phone cuts off your actual friend circle because you are so addicted to it. Bruno sends that message out loud and clear. When the cell phone screen went black. He suddenly realizes his real friends are the ones beside him, not the ones in the cell phone screen.

Super cute and really timely. I know this caters to a younger crowd but I teach middle school and this could be a fun picture book as part of our #classroombookaday because I feel it is applicable to that age group as well. This book brings to light that phones bring you close to those you are far from and far from those right near you.

Oh boy. Yet another message from grown ups to children about why they shouldn't use technology or cell phones. Grown ups love to harp on kids for using their phones too much, though most of the grown ups I know are using their phones even more than kids are -- and we're also the ones who give them to kids.

This short picture book tells the story of a bear who finds a cell phone and starts ignoring his two friends (who live with and sleep with him, making them seem more like siblings or polyamorous partners than friends if we want to get technical) in order to play with it and connect with his "virtual friends" all day. He has fun until it stops working (presumably the battery died) and then his friends give him a hug and he realizes they're way better than virtual friends anyway.

As other reviewers have mentioned, Bruno doesn't come to the realization that he likes his "real life" friends better through any epiphany or major event. His phone dies and he magically realizes he is better off without it. My issues go past that, though.

For many kids, so-called virtual friends can be a real lifeline and can offer support and friendship from afar. Kids who live in rural areas, who are ill or who just don't fit in well with the kids they're around can all really benefit from using technology to connect with others. My youngest daughter chats with her best friend in Nebraska nearly daily. It's helped her reading and spelling, and it also helps her keep in touch with one of her favorite people. My teen daughters benefited greatly from some friendships they had with like-minded kids through social media and texting (try being an alternative homeschooled teenager in a conservative farming town of 700 without social media). Both of my sons also used technology to keep in touch with friends who moved away. None of those are "virtual" friendships. The people on the other side were just as real and supportive as ones they could walk over to see. Some of my best friends were people I first met online over the years and I know many people of all ages whose lives have been made better by online friendships, so I cringe to see the shaming of folks who use technology to connect with others. And also, until we grownups put down our cell phones it's time to stop complaining when our kids use them.

The art in this book is sweet, and I'm sure a lot of grown ups will like the message. Kids are likely to just feel preached at, though, and rightly so.

My rating system:

1 = hated it
2 = it was okay
3 = liked it
4 = really liked it
5 = love it, plan to purchase, and/or would buy it again if it was lost

I read a temporary digital ARC of the book for the purpose of review.

In gita con i suoi amici Renzo e Rocco, l'orso Bruno trova un oggetto meraviglioso: lo schermo si accende, è pieno di pulsanti e - MAGIA! - ti permette di vedere video, leggere su internet, ascoltare musica.

Ma, sopratutto, di avere centinaia di amici con cui chiacchierare!

Certo, non si può avere tutto, e se per seguire queste nuove attività bisogna rinunciare a uscire con gli amici, ai picnic e alla pesca, al miele e alle risate... pazienza.

Per fortuna i veri amici - gli amici reali sono capaci di aspettare, e rimetterti in piedi dopo ogni delusione, per quanto sciocco tu possa essere stato.

Una bella fiaba sull'amicizia nell'era digitale - perché Internet è fantastica, sopratutto quando musica, libri e video si possono condividere con amici in carne e ossa. :)