Title: Babbit and Joan, a Rabbit and a Phone

Author and Illustrator: Denise Turu

Publisher: Flyaway Books

Date: April 2020

Pages: 40+

One of my favorite things to do is to go on hikes. I love hiking by the side of a stream or creek or river, through the woods, on a path, or making my own. In fact, I went on a short hike last night and ended up beside the river turning over rocks. It was great. Found a crayfish and some other worm like slimy creature wriggling around in the moist riverside soil--it is called a hellgrammite and there's a video below if you'd like to see it. I found a couple of rocks that had really pretty fossils on them. While on the path we saw a hummingbird nest. We heard sounds of birds and bugs and other people walking on the trail. It was a great evening, a great walk, and a great explore. 

It's amazing how much stuff one can find simply by turning over a few slimy rocks and hoping against hope there's not a poisonous snake or something hidden under it. (Although, that might be fun too.) And of course, after my walk, I shared all my pictures with my family hoping to catch them up in my enthusiasm for creatures. 

That's where my review comes in for Babbit and Joan. I think it is especially important, right now during all this COVID-19 lockdown and stay at home order stuff, when it is so easy to get stuck on a phone or a tablet, to share a book like this. And then after reading the book, to put the device down and go on a walk. To go on a walk and see what you can find by opening your eyes and opening your ears. There is nothing about this book that I dislike. It's the perfect book for our current season--perfect for kids and perhaps even more perfect for teens who cannot live without their technology. 

A favorite musician of mine named Rich Mullins once wrote a very simple song ("Here in America") where one of the lyrics goes, "There's so much beauty around us, but just two eyes to see." But how much those eyes are able to take in! How much our ears are able to hear! And I would tell people: go out, go for a walk, see what's there to see; hear what's there to hear. (I teach visually impaired students, so even for them I encourage their parents to give them as much experience as they can out in the world, around the stuff of nature, and away from technology.)

This is a wonderful book. It is beautifully illustrated. The story is simple and profound. The colors in the book enhance what the author wants us to know: that there is no technology that can replace the vibrancy and beauty of that which occurs naturally. It's almost as if every page in the book has a different color palette.

The author doesn't tell us technology is bad. She doesn't tell us to avoid it at all costs. (I was glad I had my phone with me last night so I could take a short video of that beautiful bug!) But she does remind us that there's far more to life and far more intimate relationships with other people, when we put down our technology for a minute and talk to real people, see real colors, and go on wonderful adventures. 

So go out today, walk along a stream or a river, and turn over a few rocks. 

And leave your phone at home. 

5/5 stars

I was provided a digital copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. I was provided no other considerations--in fact, I've already deleted the book from ADE. I will, however, be purchasing my own copy of this wonderful, wonderful book.

Everything changes the day the phones go on strike. Babbit, a rabbit, tucks his beloved phone, Joan, into bed for a much-needed rest. He then strikes out through the neighborhood, never expecting to encounter adventure.

Along the way he makes new friends, learns new things, and experiences things he never thought possible.

A charming tale for all ages with a lifelong lesson—sometimes friends (or people and their phones) need breaks from each other. The whimsical illustrations have plenty of fodder for starting discussions with little ones (or older ones) about friendship, adventure, and technology.

Babbit the Rabbit has never left Joan at home before. Does he dare go out without her? How will he know what to do? What if he gets lost?
Well first off, you need to know this... Joan is Babbit’s cell phone.

This book has a good message overall. It’s a picture book intended I assume for children, but my hope is that young children who enjoy picture books aren’t plugged into a cell phone.

Here’s the story...

One day, the phones are feeling overworked so they go on strike. Babbit decides to let his friend, Joan have a break, so he puts her to bed for a nap and heads out into the world. Without Joan’s help, he quickly becomes lost. As he is wandering around, he meets other creatures who are also lost because their phones have been misplaced or broken. As they make their way back to civilization, they see all sorts of things they hadn’t noticed when they had their noses buried in their devices. After a pleasant and meaningful time together, the new friends part ways and make plans to meet again.

When Babbitt gets home he notices his neighbors haven’t moved since he left hours ago. They are in the same position holding their cell phones to their ears. He realizes that no one has even missed him. The pictures of the neighbors as an elephant, a giraffe, pigs and ground hogs are quite cute.

The moral of he “fable” is... put down your phone and go outside to explore and see wha you are missing in life.

But, would a picture book make one abandon the cell phone? I don’t know, but it makes you think.

Thank you to NetGalley and Flyaway Books for providing me this cute and relevant book.

Sweet book about the dangers of too much phone use. It's kind of sad we need a children's book about this, but perhaps the author is thinking proactively. Most of the students I work with have a phone by 4th or 5th grade. I'm sure the younger ones see their parents using a phone all the time. The illustrations were great!

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.

Babbit and Jone: A Rabbit and a Phone - Denise Turu
Published by: Flyaway Books
Published: 21st April 2020

This book is about a rabbit (Babbit) and her phone (Joan). When Joan becomes exhausted, Babbit decides to put her to sleep for a while in bed and venture out alone...
If I’m honest, I did not enjoy this book as the themes made me feel quite uncomfortable and at some points very confused. The end pages show mobile phones with placards protesting for fair rights for phones and the blurb states that something will happen to Babbit because the phones have gone on strike... this immediately drew too many close parallels with Oliver Jeffer’s ‘The day the crayons quit’ - even too close perhaps. But this is mis-leading because the phone doesn’t go on strike. It is knackered, so Babbit puts Joan to bed to ‘recharge’...
I do understand the message that the author was trying to give: the whole neighbourhood is too busy on their phones to notice Babbit go missing... and because she doesn’t have her phone the rabbit enjoys the finer things in life such as the beauty of nature.

But, along this adventure Babbit meets a stranger (if she had a phone she could have called for help! Stranger danger!!). She then gets lost and (dangerously) has to sleep with a stranger in the woods (again, could have google mapped her way out or rung a neighbour for help as they seem to be stuck on their phones 24:7!). These themes made me feel a little uncomfortable and seemed to contradict the messages the author was trying to convey.

Whilst this may be of use within a computing lesson on technology or safety, and I get what the author was trying to do. The overall story seemed too much of a mish-Mash and I didn’t enjoy it.

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.