You're Missing It!

by Brady Smith, Tiffani Thiessen, Brady Smith (Illustrator)

Overview

A busy Hollywood couple spins a hilarious cautionary tale about what happens when you are glued to your phone.

It's a lively day at the neighborhood park. Birds are singing, squirrels are frolicking, dogs are causing a commotion—and wide-eyed children are enthralled by it all. Too bad the parents are missing everything! It's going to take something really BIG to get them to disengage from their phones . . .

This timely story, brought to life with beautiful bold art, is a great reminder to slow down and savor time together.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780525514428
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	04/30/2019
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	503,783
Product dimensions:	10.00(w) x 9.80(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	220L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 5 Years

About the Author

Tiffani Thiessen is an actress and the author of the cookbook Pull Up a Chair. Her television roles include White Collar, Saved by the Bell, and Beverly Hills, 90210. Currently she stars in the Netflix series Alexa & Katie. You're Missing It! is her first picture book. Brady Smith and Tiffani Thiessen are married with two children, three dogs, eight chickens, and one fish named Goldie Han Solo. They live in the Los Angeles area.

Brady Smith, an illustrator and fine artist, has exhibited his paintings in a number of galleries in Los Angeles, New York City, and Houston. Also an actor and writer, he has appeared in and written numerous TV shows and movies. You're Missing It! is his first picture book. Brady Smith and Tiffani Thiessen are married with two children, three dogs, eight chickens, and one fish named Goldie Han Solo. They live in the Los Angeles area.

Editorial Reviews

01/07/2019

Married actors Smith and Thiessen take playful aim at cellphone-addicted caregivers in this exclamation point–filled debut. During a father-son outing to the park, a boy’s dad remains glued to his phone despite the increasingly unusual things happening nearby. A roller-skating dog walker loses control of his mutts, a butterfly leads the boy—and a new friend, whose mother is also attached to her screen—to a grounded egg that hatches into a baby bird. “You’re missing it!” the yellow-haired boy shouts to his dad after each incident. Finally, a sneezing purple rhinoceros evades its catcher, the whole ensemble (dog walker, dogs, baby bird, rhino) joins in the boy’s refrain, and the butterfly lands on the father’s nose. Happily, the dad sees what he’s been missing and casts his phone aside. As the two run off together, the butterfly lands on the boy’s friend, perhaps beginning the journey toward attentiveness anew. Smith’s bold pen-and-watercolor illustrations pop with tropical hues that aptly emphasize how vibrant the real world is when compared to a screen. A refreshing and opportune reminder to put down the phone and eye the butterflies. Ages 3–5. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

Married actors Smith and Thiessen take playful aim at cellphone-addicted caregivers. . . . Smith’s bold pen-and-watercolor illustrations pop with tropical hues that aptly emphasize how vibrant the real world is when compared to a screen. A refreshing and opportune reminder to put down the phone and eye the butterflies.”—Publishers Weekly

“Humorous cartoon artwork . . . vibrant atmosphere. . . . A timely comment on technology's drawbacks in today's society.”—Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

01/24/2020

PreS-Gr 1—A small child pulls his father through a city park: "Come on! Let's go, Daddy!" Dad follows but looks down at his phone the whole time. The child greets various wonders, like birds and squirrels. Dad continues to "Beep bop beep" on his phone. Then things get sillier. A roller-skater is pulled off balance by dogs chasing a jogger. A little girl watches from the bushes while her mom engages with her own phone. Together the kids watch a bird hatch and get sneezed on by a rhinoceros, all the while repeating to their parents, "You're missing it!" At last the first child's dad looks up from his phone to enjoy a beautiful butterfly. He hugs the boy and carries him out of the park on his shoulders. The girl says hello to the butterfly and goodbye to the boy as she trots behind her phone-obsessed mom. The squirrels stare curiously at the phone that the dad presumably left behind. While not subtle in its messaging, this is a refreshing reminder that kids aren't the only ones who benefit from a break from their electronics. The bright watercolor illustrations and playful details keep the story light and fun. The hand-lettered text adds an especially lively touch. VERDICT Libraries looking for a light and timely exploration of parent engagement will not want to miss this amusing title.—Amelia Jenkins, Juneau Public Library, AK

School Library Journal

2019-01-15

Modern-day life tethered to a cellphone prevents caregivers from enjoying the park's natural beauty, observing the unexpected, and reacting to their children's discoveries.

It is a clear, bright spring day, and two children are enjoying the wonder of it all. Dogs run amok and upset their walker as they chase squirrels; flowers drop from a local vendor's cart; there's a newly hatched baby bird, a fluttering butterfly. A little boy wants his father to experience it all with him, but Dad is too busy, never looks up, buried in his screen. "You're missing it!" shouts the boy as his frustration grows over his father's unresponsiveness. But a little girl whose mother is equally absorbed with her phone begins a conversation, and boy and girl share the park's happenings. And then—an escaped rhino from the zoo galumphs through, knocking Dad's phone from his hand and forcing a sudden shocked awareness that results in a loving hug between father and son. " ‘See, Dad?' ‘Oh, yes! I do. I see.' " The humorous cartoon artwork enfolds the sparse narrative in a vibrant atmosphere, completing a message that may be more pertinent for the adult sharing the story than a child reader. The protagonist presents white, and his new friend is a girl of color with afro-puff pigtails. Distressingly, her mother, a woman of color, never looks up, rhino or no rhino.

A timely comment on technology's drawbacks in today's society. (Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews