The manic panic

PreS-Gr 2-In this import from India, a family becomes unplugged and discovers that virtual reality can be happily found outside. A familiar, relatable opening household scene shows Dad in the kitchen following a recipe on his tablet, while Mom stretches out on the sofa, working on her laptop. Mayhem ensues when the Internet suddenly stops working. While the grown-ups are in a technological tizzy, the little girl protagonist is "BRIMMING with ideas and plans for things to do." When her parents whinge and whine and lie supine on the floor in withdrawal, the child puts her foot down and is the voice of reason: "It is NOT the end of the world. The Internet wasn't even around when you were my age." Ananth's cartoon illustrations show the family enjoying low-tech activities outdoors together, like riding bicycles, playing soccer, and picnicking in the park. Children will enjoy the role reversal, and in a funny twist ending, the second-person narrator is revealed to be a mouse with a penchant for nibbling modem wires. VERDICT Turn off your screens and delight in this clever, current picture book offering.-Linda Ludke, London Public Library, Ont. © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

In this unexpected take on screen addiction, an Indian import, an unnamed girl convinces her parents that they, too, can have fun away from their pods and pads. On "most days," Daddy can be found referring to recipes on his wireless device, and Mommy, on the couch, snacking and tapping on her laptop. But, when the Wi-Fi goes down, Mommy "howls" and Daddy "bellows." They "whine" and "whimper." "Mommy! Daddy! BEHAVE! It is NOT the end of the world," says the ingenious protagonist, and she takes her parents out into the "big wide world out there": They climb trees, play soccer, and buy hot chai from the street vendor. While the parents display a reluctance stereotypical to screen-focused children, the young protagonist mirrors parental responses, with "knitbrows" and firmness. Young readers will likely get the joke. When the family returns home, the Wi-Fi is still down, but now they "have other things to think about. Like the clouds and the breeze and the trees." The identity of the second-person narrator is revealed at the end, which is yet another humorous turnabout. Ananth's muted, posterlike illustrations are not India-specific (save, perhaps, for the tea stall), and they feature a multigenerational, middle-class brown family that might be found anywhere in the diaspora. Unmistakably message-driven ("YOU know what's good for them") yet silly and light. (Picture book. 4-7) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.