Now We're Together: Adventures in real life by Nicola Edwards illustrated by Jenny Bloomfield

"When we're caught up in the endless scroll and swipe, it takes effort to change our habits. It's worth it, though, because there's an incredible world out there for us to enjoy."

My blog has a few repeated topics or 'messages' one of which relates to the name of the blog - TIME. In the context of this book this means putting away those devices which swallow up your time, turning off those devices to free up your time for other things - reading, noticing, walking, talking, playing, silence, stillness, rest and again reading.

The final pages of this book have some distressing facts which I hope shock you:

"The average grown-up picks up their phone 58 times a day and spends more than three hours each day using it."

"The more we use smartphone, the more likely we are to feel anxious and depressed, especially if we spend a lot of time on social media."

BUT the author also offers advice:

"Try reading a book in bed .... you might find you get a better night's sleep."

"When you wake up in the morning, try not to look at your phone for an hour. Are there other things you could make time for instead?"

This book is unashamedly didactic right from the opening end papers where we see six windows at night and in each someone is looking at a screen to the back end paper and every scene is joyous and different. A man plays a guitar while his child sings; a lady is watering her indoor garden; two people are talking; an artist works at an easel; and a man is playing with his tiny infant. 

The title page is also quite confronting. Over twenty people are in a park, the children are playing BUT not interacting with all the adults whose faces are illuminated by the screens they are staring at. Oh and some of the children are looking at those screens too!

"We're scrolling, eyes flicking ... but what do we see? Am I seeing you? Are you seeing me?"

But what if that switch is turned off - what will they see? What will they do? What will change?

"The moon is a plant-sized pearl hanging low." "The sky's stuffed with diamonds ... " "Fireflies flutter and flitter ... " "Skies of sherbet and coral and spilt indigo, the sun drips its honey on blue tides below."

The big question about this book, though, is who is the audience? The message is an important one for adults of course but do they read picture books for advice? Older children need this message too but again this picture book might not be shared with older children. Younger children need adult intervention - adults have put those devices into the hands of tiny children and so the message about switching off and seeing other things in the world has to be initiated by the adults in their world. Younger children might enjoy this book but my real hope would be that it might open up conversations and perhaps the adult sharing this book might follow the advice it contains. 

My friend from Kinderbookswitheverything has a Pinterest collection of other books on the topic of devices - unplug or turn off. This book is didactic, as I said, but the message is important and the art by Jenny Bloomfield is sublime. My poor photos do not do it justice. If I had to think of a similar illustrator I would say her style is a little like the wonderful Sydney Smith. 

Here are other books by Nicola Edwards: