ALA Booklist (Mon Feb 01 00:00:00 CST 2010)

This cautionary picture book, though entertaining and meaningful on a child's level, might be more directed at parents. When Todd's folks are too busy to deal with him, which is just about always, they plop him in front of the TV. Soon, the affable appliance has taken over most parental duties ing to the parent-teacher conference (where it promises to cut down on Todd's cartoon intake), tucking him in at night, playing catch, and even taking Todd on vacation. When the TV whispers to Todd that he is thinking of legally adopting him, Mom and Dad realize the gravity of the situation, but it isn't until Todd shows them that things can be turned off that they figure out what to do. A double-page moral to the story has the family enjoying quality time together, with Todd feeling more loved than ever and winning the Student of the Year Award. Proimos' loose, comic art and plenty of humorous touches make for a fun read, and although TV isn't necessarily a villain, responsible parenting comes out the hero.

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

Convincing kids to turn off the TV isn't easy, but with droll humor as his spoonful of sugar, Proimos (<EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">Paulie Pastrami Achieves World Peace) might win them over. Like Jonathan Swift, Proimos carries the book's absurd plot to the extreme: Todd's busy parents often dump him in front of the TV, and one night when they're debating who will take Todd to a parent-teacher conference, the TV booms, “I'LL DO IT.” As Todd's parents relinquish their responsibilities, the TV ends up making Todd pancakes, giving him “heart-to-heart advice,” taking him on vacation, and finally offering to adopt him. Proimos's witty three-color cartoons are especially delightful, portraying Todd's parents' inept attempts to take back control (even dressing up as a TV). But it's Todd who simply (and somewhat inexplicably) suggests turning off the TV, leading to better reading, listening, and grades, as well as Todd feeling “more loved than he ever had in his life.” There's some serious parental guilt-tripping in the text (“Parents are busy people. They can't spend every minute with their child”), but Proimos's humor should charm adults as well as kids. Ages 4–8. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(May)

School Library Journal (Sat May 01 00:00:00 CDT 2010)

PreS-Gr 2 With broad strokes and witty slapdashery, Proimos's light cartoon art and plotline carry some weighty themes. Readers are introduced to diminutive, cheerful Todd, his too-busy-for-quality-time parents, and his increasingly nurturing television set. "Todd loved his parents. But he had grown much closer to his TV." Only a few pages in, some adult readers will be shifting uncomfortably. The spread featuring Todd, his eyes unnaturally large and glazed over on one side, and the huge TV facing him on the other, won't ease their discomfort a whit. At this point, the author jumps into a hilariously exaggerated focal plot that manages to ease the tension and intensify the message. It all starts when neither parent is available to attend Todd's parent-teacher conferenceand the TV volunteers. Amusing cartoon drawings in shades of gray, black, and persimmony-red against a white background and a satiric twist at the story's end further enhance this funny-scary cautionary tale. It's a hoot. Susan Weitz, formerly at Spencer-Van Etten School District, Spencer, NY

Kirkus Reviews

Subtle as a falling safe, Proimos drops a pair of particularly clueless parents on a boy who's anything but a passive victim. So busy and self-involved are Todd's mother and father that they're actually relieved when the household TV offers to go to the lad's parent-teacher conference, drive him to school, cook breakfast and even take him on vacations. They do finally put their foot (feet) down when the TV expresses an intention to open adoption proceedings, but their efforts to show who's boss are ineffectual until Todd clues them in to the TV's power switch. Quality time ensues, and Todd improves so much at school that he wins—a laptop. Using thick, irregular lines and a palette of gray and garish red-orange, the author illustrates the tale in an appropriately stripped-down way, putting confident smiles on Todd and on the screens of both the blocky, old-style TV and the laptop and largely confused looks on the faces of the grown-ups. Todd's emotional detachment makes a nice change from other alarmist tales of boob-tube slavery, but it doesn't make the book any less preachy. (Picture book. Parents)