Selfie by Sandy Horsley shows younger readers just what can go wrong when you spend too much time on your phone and not enough time paying attention. This story will make a great conversation starter with children of all ages and parents alike.

That is one selfie-obsessed squirrel!

I understand the point this book is trying to make, but I'm kind of disturbed that it even needs to exist for the age group in question. Are kids who are young enough to read a book about talking squirrels old enough to be posting pictures of themselves online without parental guidance? There's a weird mismatch here between what Sylvie's doing with her phone (she runs her own Instagram account, and spells well enough to include decipherable hashtags on all her photos) and the rest of her friends (who are playing on playground equipment in the manner of preschoolers).

The book is kind of preachy, but again, I question whether it needs to be. It seems like adults would be the ones who really need this (especially if they're so busy posting selfies that they don't know what their kids are doing with their phones).

I like the hashtags that are used cleverly throughout (especially when the animals go on their quest to find their friend). But I don't like the normalizing of frantic selfie-taking for this age group. Yes, Sylvie realizes the error of her ways, but in real life, it's not that simple. Kids are getting addicted to their devices at younger and younger ages, and without a parent to take away the phone and say, "Go outside and play!" I kind of doubt that most kids would decide to do so on their own after reading a picture book.

If you can even get them to put down the phone long enough to read a book.

This book is a wonderful way to introduce appropriate use of the internet and social media to young children. With beautiful illustrations, cute characters and an easy to follow story, Selfie shows young readers the importance of looking away from screens and seeing the world around them. Highly recommend to parents and teachers!

The illustrations in this book were great. It will show children to not worry about phones, and to live in the moment! Also to be there for their friends.