Book: A Disconnected Family by Amélie Javaux

A picture book about excessive screen time at home, told by the family dog, who is no longer getting any attention.

Biscuit was the happiest dog in the world until the day tablets, smartphones, and consoles entered their home. From then on, the family spends all their time glued to screens, and no one notices him. He must find a way to switch them off.

Choosing the narrator is what makes this book so effective with children. It is not an adult scolding them who is speaking, but the dog, and the scene is viewed from the outside. This gives the child space to recognize the situation at home without feeling caught out, and it usually opens up the conversation much better than a new rule.

Humor runs throughout the book and avoids a preachy tone. In the end, the simple idea remains that we only reconnect with others if we give them our time and attention, and that applies to the little ones just as much as it does to those reading aloud.

Features

• Theme: screen use and its effect on family relationships.
• Narrator: the family dog, which removes the preachy tone and opens up the conversation.
• Text: Amélie Javaux, psychologist. Illustration: Annick Masson. Translation: Susana Cardoso Ferreira.
• 40 pages, hardcover, 252 x 283 x 10 mm.
• Recommended for ages 4 and up.