SCREENS AWAY, TIME TO PLAY!
by Kailan Carr ; illustrated by Rebecca Sinclair
Carr makes a case for active play in this children’s picture book.
The author advocates limiting screen time: “I know it’s hard to turn screens off. You see, they’re made that way/ they’re really irresistible; your brain says, ‘Stay all day!’” Screens “get your brain excited,” but also can provide too much stimulation; a child in a dark room glows and smiles while looking at a flashing device, but scowls in a dark corner after the device disappears. Though there might be times you “use screens more, like when you’re feeling sick,” and screens can be useful for grown-ups (an image shows a doctor with an X-ray), the text encourages children to find as many other things to do as possible. Sinclair’s detailed digital cartoon illustrations show children of a variety of racial backgrounds, abilities, and skin tones, basking in the glow of handheld devices and playing outdoors in sandboxes, playgrounds, parks, and next to brownstones on city streets. Though didactic, this rhyming, well-illustrated book is a useful classroom tool for initiating conversations about screen habits and presenting ideas for alternative activities—especially for children whose young lives from 2020 to 2021 were spent largely in the company of digital devices.
Instructional without being soporific; a useful discussion-starter about screen addiction for kids.