Author(s): Bùi Phương Tâm

Picture Books | New Arrivals

Children's addiction to the phones and other screen gadgets is any parent's concern these days - and it seems to take hold at a younger and younger age!

The idea for this book came to author Bui Phuong Tam during the long months of the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, when suddenly her 4-year-old daughter was home all day and no one knew how to play with her. The little girl's mother needed to work, and gave the child her phone. What happened next was easy to see: "Ears do not hear, eyes do not see, voice does not speak, mouth does not chew, face is not happy"...

Having studied early eduction and play at Portland State University, Bui Phuong Tam felt best placed to write this book. Giving a phone to a child almost seems like the act of a witch handing a poisoned apple to the Snow White: the effect is a prolonged sleep until someone awakens the poisoned.

"Put the phone down now!" follows a family's journey of weaning little Na off her phone addiction. It offers ideas for adapting our relationships with young children to a ifestyle which constantly keeps parents busy. How do we create an environment that invites our children to play on their own and not on the screen? What is learning through play?

The author's considered words and Hoang Giang's brilliant illustrations work together in guiding parents and young readers through fighting against a child's addiction to screens.

This title is also available in English, ISBN 9786042234627, to form a bilingual pair.