• I received this ebook from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
• Selfie by Sandy Horsley
• Genre: Children’s fiction
• Pub Date: September 1, 2020

NetGalley Summary: Click! Click! Click! Sylvie the Squirrel is obsessed with selfies. However, as she’s clicking away, Sylvie is missing out on the fun right in front of her. When her friends save her from a scary situation, Sylvie realizes what’s really important and it’s not taking selfies. Social media starts at an early age, and debut author/illustrator Sandy Horsley brings that issue to the forefront in this timely picture book. Selfies are fun, but nothing is more fun than being a good friend and living in the moment.

4 yo daughter’s review: She loved this story. She loved it so much, when we finished reading it, she asked me, very excitedly, to read it again. After the second time through, you could see the wheels turning. And then the questions began.

Some background: she does understand what a selfie is, and loves to play with the Facebook filters with her dad. She does Facetime with her grandparents, and can work my phone better than me some days. She is not obsessed with selfies, but does demand a lot of personal photography during her events.

Questions we talked about: why does she like to take selfies? Why doesn’t she want to take pictures with her friends? Why is it a danger to go in the woods? Why are her friends worried? Would my friends save me? Can I go play with my friends? (NO! It’s bedtime!)

Mom’s Review: I loved this story! I thought it was a great message, and it was told in a way that kids can relate to. I would love to see a sequel to this one called Put Your Damn Phone Away that I can read to my husband, who misses out on EVERYTHING because he’s so busy playing on his phone. Reading the news. Social media. Talking with his friends. Reading gossip. Pretending to work. PUT. IT. AWAY. Oh wait…I’ve gone off on a tangent.

This is a book that I think my daughter would need as she grows up in a time of influencers, and where all her friends play with their parent’s phones. Starting to plant the idea of her focusing on life around her rather than the internet is an idea I can get behind. This is also a cute way to discuss the topic with kids who are older as well. Kids never hear their parents at a certain point. I plan to use any means necessary to get through to them.

Keep on reading!