  | Full Text Reviews: Booklist - 09/15/2016 “Once upon a time, way, way back, a long time ago, or maybe yesterday, there lived a little cave boy named TEK!” Glued to his electronic gadgets, Tek’s only utterance is “UGH!” when his friends want him to come out and play. He is so wrapped up in his phone, tablet, and game box—“all day, all night, all the time”—that he doesn’t even notice the world evolving. Tek’s parents and the village attempt to get Tek unglued. But nothing grabs his attention, except for Big Poppa, the village volcano, whose idea is guaranteed to shake things up. McDonnell blends the prehistoric with the present to send a clever reminder to young readers that beyond their electronic realm there is a world waiting to be explored. In an uproariously absurd plot—right down to little Tek’s caveman beard—pages reflect the differences between Tek’s technological world and the great outdoors, shifting from limited scenes set in a tablet format (complete with connectivity and battery icons) to colorful full-page illustrations. Good, snarky fun for parents and kids. - Copyright 2016 Booklist. School Library Journal - 10/01/2016 PreS-Gr 2—Tek, a so-called "modern" cave boy, lives among dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures. He spends all his time engaging with technology, and neither his parents, his friends, nor his tribe's leaders can get him to do anything outside the cave. Only when Big Poppa volcano erupts and destroys Tek's tech does the cave boy interact with the world. The book is cleverly designed to appear as though readers are viewing it on a tablet screen for most of the story; once Tek's devices are destroyed, the tablet-style borders on the pages disappear and the illustrations become full bleed. While the style and whimsy of the images are as charming as expected from this Caldecott honoree, the tone is less so; this offering feels more like a nagging finger wag about using technology than a fun Stone Age tale. McDonnell has overshot the satirical tone he appears to have been aiming for and instead comes off as another adult lamenting kids these days and their technology. VERDICT Though it's lovely to look at, this picture book misses the mark with its story.—Amy Koester, Skokie Public Library, IL - Copyright 2016 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Loading...
 |