Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews (Thu Apr 28 00:00:00 CDT 2022)

Blip, a boxy little robot, loves plugging herself into her computer all day long. Her cord connects her to a big screen that offers learning apps, blinking games, catchy music, and even pictures of lush landscapes. When a blackout and a tumble down the stairs somersault Blip out the front door, she's suddenly in the gauzy light of the natural world. The small robot reels. Inside Blip's house it's dark—just stark blacks and whites. Outside, soft, spring pigments paint grassy hills, curvy tree trunks, scattered flowers, furry creatures, and a winding, sky-blue stream. Flipping back, readers might notice that Blip's daily computer activity is depicted in vignettes that move incrementally across the page in linear rows, with square pixels assembling to generate crude computer-screen visuals. Blip's dramatic immersion into the varied, curvy, colorful outdoors nudges readers to compare the two settings. Blip's real-life play mirrors her virtual-play activities, except it now burbles with immediacy, spontaneity, and interactive fun with new, adorable animal friends (a wide-eyed bunny and baby-faced duck). Will Blip plug back in at the end of the day? Readers may doubt it, as they've decided to stay unplugged a little more themselves. A gentle catalyst for crucial conversations about balancing digital diversions with real-life play as well as an introduction to self-guided critical thinking. (Picture book. 3-6)

ALA Booklist (Fri Dec 01 00:00:00 CST 2017)

A charming, childlike robot named Blip spends her days blissfully gazing at her large computer screen, until a blackout causes her to become unplugged. Outside, she frolics with a trio of newfound animal friends. As the day ends, Blip sadly leaves her new friends, returns home, and plugs in. However, she can't get the thrill of her outdoor adventures out of her mind; leaving her computer behind, she exits, undoubtedly off to pursue more escapades of the unplugged kind. The book's large format, with several pages seamlessly split into sequential scenes, effortlessly displays a good number of Blip's activities both indoors and out, making the minimal text almost unnecessary. Blip's indoor activities are depicted in black-and-white with early computer graphics on the screen, while the outdoor illustrations switch to full color, showing animals in a pleasing cartoon style and making it clear why Blip would prefer unplugged experiences. While this may not sell any screen-addicted child on the merits of outdoor play, it is a fun adventure with an appealing cast.

Horn Book (Mon Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2019)

Robot Blip "liked being plugged into her computer." One day there's a blackout, and Blip finds herself outside, where the book's industrial palette yields to a pastel-colored world of greenery and animals. This is a "lesson" story that doesn't feel like one thanks to Antony's canny art, which shows Blip and friends happily doing what she'd only been watching on-screen characters do.

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

Blip, a boxy little robot, loves plugging herself into her computer all day long. Her cord connects her to a big screen that offers learning apps, blinking games, catchy music, and even pictures of lush landscapes. When a blackout and a tumble down the stairs somersault Blip out the front door, she's suddenly in the gauzy light of the natural world. The small robot reels. Inside Blip's house it's dark—just stark blacks and whites. Outside, soft, spring pigments paint grassy hills, curvy tree trunks, scattered flowers, furry creatures, and a winding, sky-blue stream. Flipping back, readers might notice that Blip's daily computer activity is depicted in vignettes that move incrementally across the page in linear rows, with square pixels assembling to generate crude computer-screen visuals. Blip's dramatic immersion into the varied, curvy, colorful outdoors nudges readers to compare the two settings. Blip's real-life play mirrors her virtual-play activities, except it now burbles with immediacy, spontaneity, and interactive fun with new, adorable animal friends (a wide-eyed bunny and baby-faced duck). Will Blip plug back in at the end of the day? Readers may doubt it, as they've decided to stay unplugged a little more themselves. A gentle catalyst for crucial conversations about balancing digital diversions with real-life play as well as an introduction to self-guided critical thinking. (Picture book. 3-6)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Blip is a wide-eyed, square-headed robot who is plugged into her computer 24/7. The large screen gives her everything she needs: -Blip learned new things, played fun games, danced to music, and visited faraway places,- writes Antony (Thank You, Mr. Panda), showing the cheery robot standing on her head as she watches a pixelated workout video, singing along with a pixelated duck, and admiring a pixelated landscape. Then the power goes out, and Blip tumbles down the stairs and into the analog world. It-s a revelation. Before the blackout, Blip lived in a flat world rendered in graphite gray; outside, the world is full of shapes and colors-there-s nothing flat or pixelated about it. A rabbit, a fawn, and a duck welcome Blip into their circle, and she discovers that everything she did on the computer is much more fun in real life with real friends. Antony-s digital-age parable avoids turning heavy-handed-his characters are so cheery, carefree, and congenial that readers will quickly forget that they-re being taught a lesson. Ages 3- 5. (Feb.)

School Library Journal (Fri Dec 01 00:00:00 CST 2017)

PreS-Gr 1 Through soft, black-and-white graphite-accented illustrations, readers are introduced to Blip, a small robot, who likes being plugged into her computer. Blip spends all day learning new things, playing games, listening to music, and visiting faraway places online. Until one day when Blip trips over her wire and tumbles all the way downstairs and out the front door. Suddenly, the pages change to warm, full-color spreads, and Blip topples, rolls, and drifts across grassy hills, forests, and a long, winding river. Outside, Blip also spends her day learning new things, playing games, dancing to music, and visiting faraway places with cozy, new woodland friends. However, the inviting pencil drawings with digitally added colors and textures capture the magic, innocence, and joy of outside play, and contrast highly with the black-and-white computer-play pages. When Blip finally gets back home to her computer, she can't stop thinking about "how great it wasto beunplugged." VERDICT A visually entertaining story with an underlying message to get outside and play. Perfect for reading aloud and for good old-fashioned one-on-one sharing. Brianne Colombo, Fairfield Free Public Library, NJ