What's a rabbit to do when his tired, overworked cell phone needs a break? Why, take a walk without her and discover a whole new world, meet new friends, and have low-tech adventures, that's what!

The pictures seem a bit young for the intended audience of the book, but they were colorful and charming.

This is a cute book, great for starting a discussion with younger students about media balance. Everyone stays on their cell phones all the time. But Babbit notices his phone needs a rest, so he goes out by himself. He gets lost in the forest, meets some new animal friends, and has to spend the night. When he returns home the next day, no one had even noticed he was gone! This could be a trigger for so many of our students, especially those that have to spend a lot of time on their own while their parents work. Teacher discussion will be important for this title, but the students will like the cute pictures and it can give an opening for teaching media balance - not being constantly connected.

The author does a great job reminding us all that if we put down the phone and look up we might see the world around us and make connections with others. I loved the bright illustrations. Although meant for children, I think adults would benefit from reading this book as well!

I received an ARC through NetGalley from Flyaway Books. My son and I enjoyed this book very much. He is obsessed with my phone, which I keep on me a lot, but he is also good about telling me when I should be off of it. This book follows Babbit who’s phone named Joan is overworked and needs a rest. Babbit goes out without his phone and must navigate back home alone. When he gets lost, he meets two friends who all make their way back home together without phones. They find they had a really nice time along the way. Babbit promises Joan that they will take time to rest. I think this book was done in a very clear and understandable way for kids and the message was sold to the young reader. Very nice, colorful spreads with just the right amount of text. Recommended ages 4-7.

What a cute story! Babbit's life changes when the phones go on strike. He'd never thought about how hard his phone, Joan, worked all day, everyday. He puts Joan in bed for a rest and takes off on his own. His adventures are not without mishaps but he realizes all that he had been missing by being glued to his phone. A great allegory for older elementary. Younger elementary would love the animals and the adventure but the older students would understand the lesson. Highly recommended.

Babbit and Joan is a great book about giving device time a rest and going out to see the world. Babbit went on a lovely journey and made new friends all because his face was not locked on his phone. This is a great picture book for children, adolescents, and adults. We all could benefit from the journeys and excitement that comes from stepping away from our technology and spending time with our friends. This story may be a cute story, but the message is one we all should take seriously.

I was a little leary when I requested this that it might be too preachy, too messagey for my taste. Happily, it was not. Oh, it's preachy and predictable, but it's a decent story with nice artwork, and Turu doesn't hit the reader over the head with her message. The topic of spending lots of time on a cell phone, on a screen, is certainly topical right now with so many people isolated at home and spending so much time on a phone or tablet as well as trying to entertain their children of all ages.

The story starts when cell phones go on strike. Turu has anthropomorphized both animals and technology. Given her message of reducing use of phones and screens, making cell phones more appealing may not have been the best approach. Babbit names his phone Joan; he pats it, talks to it, and even gives it a bed of its own. None of which will do anything to lessen the appeal of playing with or using a cell phone or tablet.

The story itself is not bad. Babbit goes for a walk without his phone, gets lost (I can relate; I love my GPS), makes friends along the way, who are also without their phones, and eventually makes his way back home. It's a mini adventure story, with only gentle scares, perfect for young children. The artwork is muted, with lots of white space, and a moderate amount of detail; it's not busy. The forest Babbit and friends travel through is a mix of deciduous forest, desert, and jungle. Realism is not the point here. :D

"Babbit & Joan" is sweet, a little preachy, a little confused as to the exact message it wants to send, with an adventure story most toddlers and young preschoolers will enjoy. Older children may find the story too babyish. It's a nice book, but not a must-read.

This story confronts an issue that youngsters confront with increasing attention daily. Through colorful illustrations and a sweet story, the author has created a balance between constantly being on a cell phone alongside the joy that can be experienced otherwise. Babbit, the main character, literally gives his phone a rest by putting it to bed so it can recharge. Young readers will appreciate the connection and will enjoy Babbit's adventures when the themes of friendship and natural beauty are explored.
The message is meaningful and necessary in today's culture.

An adorable story! Children and adults will love this sweet story of adventure. Happy Reading everyone!

This story had a valid point and charming illustrations, but, unfortunately, the people who would enjoy this story are unlikely to be the ones who need to hear this message, and vice versa.
Babbit the rabbit spends so much time with his phone he has even named it Joan. One day the battery dies and Babbit is forced to look elsewhere for entertainment. What follows is an all day excursion where Babbit gets lost and makes new friends. By the end of the day they are all home safe and sound. The new friends may or may not see each other again.
This book would be appropriate for young readers perhaps ages 5-8. However children of that age are very unlikely to have unsupervised use of a phone. At the same time, older readers will scorn a cute picture book that lectures them on the dangers of too much time with their phone.
Even enjoying this as a light romp, two issues struck a false note.. Referring to the need for batteries rather than charging the phone sounded odd, as if the author hadn’t used a real phone. Even more important was the danger of getting lost which is probably one of the few aspects of a smart phone that really provides a valuable service.
As a librarian I don’t think I would select this for my collection and as a parent, what would be the purpose of reading this to my,kids when I am the one controlling use of the phone.

I wanted this book to be a cell phone version of The Day the Crayons Quit, instead it was a book about how you can appreciate the world around you more fully when you are not constantly looking at your phone screen.

This would be a good read aloud to open discussions about how important it is to disconnect from your phone from time to time.

The end papers are gorgeous.

Thank you NetGalley and Flyaway Books for the ARC

'Babbit and Joan, a Rabbit and a Phone' by Denise Turu is a lovely children's book that addresses a fairly new issue for younger children: what would it be like to take a break from your phone? I'm very torn about how this book made me feel It is well-written and beautifully illustrated. However, I wouldn't normally associate picture books with cell phone discussions. Does this mean that children ages 3-7 (as the publisher's recommended ages for this book) are already so attached to their phones that they need this book to help them detach? Upon further thought, I do think that is correct. If that's the case, this book does a terrific job depicting that and it would foster a great discussion about technology and one's reliance upon it at an early age.
*I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my review.

Phones go on strike and Babbit leaves his phone at home for the day because he notices that the phone is overworked. Babbit gets to see lots of things he never noticed before. He gets lost though because he doesn't have his phone! He joins up with others who are lost and work together to get back home.

The idea that phones need rest and you get to see new things when you take a break was great! I think that idea is consumable for little ones. I like that it addressed that phones are used today for safety (not getting lost, being able to call for help.) I liked that Babbit had to find helpers and work together to get home. When I read children's books I always think about how a child might interpret something and conversations I could start around the topic. This book gave me plenty of ideas. I do think the idea of going off on your own and spending the night in the forest with strangers when your lost is something that I would probably talk about more too.

The colors and illustrations are appealing in this book. The topic is relevant for a library, I think you'd get some circulation on it as well as plan some story times around it, maybe even a craft to build your own phone or tablet bed/holder!

It begins with a really cute premise: the phones, overworked, go on strike, and Babbit decides to give his phone the opportunity to rest while he goes out and explores the world. His adventure mostly consists of getting lost (since he doesn't have his phone to help) and meeting new friends who are also lost (because they don't have their phones to help). I'm not sure this is the best argument for going without a phone. And couldn't the bird have flown up to locate the city earlier? At any rate, the illustrations are bright and adorable.

I received an electronic copy from Flyaway Books through NetGalley.
The cell phones go on strike as they're tired of working so much. Babbit the rabbit doesn't realize how much he uses Joan until he sees how exhausted she is. He puts her down for a nap and goes off on a walk. He ends up in the forest and meets two new friends - Ed the bird and Mair the bear. Together, they learn how to take care of themselves without their phones.
Lovely story and excellent dialogue starter for families. We all need to realize how much we're on our phones and figure out ways to take breaks. Babbit and Joan's relationship is a non-threatening way to introduce screen time discussions. Classes can also springboard off this book in a similar manner.

The bright, vivid illustrations are amazing! 5 stars for those. 4 stars for the story of Babbit and his friend/phone Joan. One day Babbit looks out his window and sees a bunch of phones that have gone on strike because they are being worked too hard. He decides to ask his phone, Joan, how she's doing and finds out she's exhausted. So, he puts her down for a nap and goes exploring on his own. His adventures are fun!

The whole story is thought-provoking without being too heavy handed. It's more a message for adults and older kids, not really the typical picture book audience, but it was still entertaining and I think kids would like the idea of phones getting tired.

Disclaimer: I received a free electronic copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This beautifully illustrated book helps the reader see that while phones are important for daily life ( you know, you might get lost in the woods one day), it is also a reminder to not neglect the beautiful world around us due to always being stuck on our devices. After the phones go on strike, including Babbit's phone, Joan, Babbit takes a long walk. To his surprise, he discovers a beautiful world he was missing out on because he was always "glued to his phone." Along the way, he meets a bird and bear who are also lost and so, they decide to stick together and try to get back to the city. All the while, they marvel at the beautiful and colorful sights around them. Not only do they become traveling companions who try to find their way home, but they become friends. This book is a wonderful reminder to put the phone down every once in a while, and enjoy the moments around us before they quickly pass.

Thank you to NetGalley and Flyaway Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book. I read it along with my six year old son, who said we were lucky to be some of the first to read it. As we read, we talked about the importance of not missing the beauty of our surroundings due to always using our devices. It was a great talking point and interesting discussion, to say the least.

Babbit and his cell phone, Joan, go everywhere together and do everything together. One day, Babbit leaves home without Joan, and he sees the most amazing assortment of things he never noticed before - why? because he's not staring into his phone all the time. Babbit learned a lesson - he can rely upon himself to get around, and Joan - Joan got a well-deserved rest.

Bright, clean illustrations. An enjoyable read for parents who wish their children would rely a bit less on technology and open their eyes to what's around them.

I requested and received an e-ARc of this book from NetGalley and Flyaway Books in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book, it encourages kids to leave their electronic devices alone and go explore the world around them. The illustrations are bright and cheerful, and the stories message is fantastic!

#BabbitandJoanaRabbitandaPhone #NetGalley

What a brilliant book!

This is the perfect book for showing children what they can achieve when they take time out from their phones and tablets even if everyone else is on them. I especially liked that the phones were very tired, I thought this was a lovely element to the story that could really be bought into by the younger child.