"A bear named Bruno finds a new technological distraction in the woods.One day Bruno, Rico, and Renzo go fishing. While walking along a woodland path, Bruno finds something beautiful: a smartphone. He discovers fun sounds, exciting pictures, and new words. The best thing the phone offers is connections to new friends, and soon, Bruno has 100 friends. With so many new friends and diversions, Bruno has interest only in his phone, ignoring Rico and Renzo. During dinner, in bed, and even on the toilet, Bruno only has time for his new phone. Only after his two friends leave and the phone goes black does Bruno realizes what true friendship is. Translated from Dutch, Bruno's story is clearly relevant to current technological society. His experiences will be familiar to many kids (and their grown-ups), demonstrating how the allure of instant friends, information, and media makes it so easy to get lost in the digital world. Pirrone emphasizes the quality of friendships over the quantity. The muted, angular illustrations add amusing details and acknowledge how mesmerizing phones can be. Drawn animals and plants placed on subtly textured backgrounds make up the charming full-color, full-page images. A bold display type is used to emphasize some of Bruno's excited thoughts and words. A kid-friendly reminder of the dark side of connected life." - Kirkus Reviews
“Three country bears out for a walk in the woods discover a mysterious device. Inside are pictures, videos, songs, and, best of all, a tally of friends from all over the world. Bruno is immediately enthralled and relishes in the addition of each new “friend” on his phone, ignoring the friends right beside him. When Bruno’s phone loses power, he finds out who his real friends are. This picture book is a cautionary tale for the twenty-first century.” - Foreword Reviews
“A cute, simplistic story of real physical friends vs our online friends. Who will be there when the phone goes away? Great for elementary-age students, as as well upper levels as an introduction to digital citizenship.” - Amy Stefanski (Librarian at Dunlap School District)
“Super cute and really timely. I know this caters to a younger crowd but I teach middle school and this could be a fun picture book as part of our #classroombookaday because I feel it is applicable to that age group as well. This book brings to light that phones bring you close to those you are far from and far from those right near you.” – Stephanie Mills (Librarian at Park View Middle School)
