If You Give a Mouse an iPhone: A Cautionary Tail

by Ann Droyd

The perfect gift for parents everywhere, from the New York Times  bestselling author of Goodnight iPad . 

The parody of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie that every parent will relate to.

If you give in to temptation and   give a bored little mouse your iPhone, even for ten minutes, he’s probably going to beam to some faraway place beyond time, space, and the sound of your pleading voice. And if he’s that far gone, he won’t have any idea what’s going on around him, and he might end up missing out on all the real fun.

From the New York Times- bestselling author of Goodnight iPad comes a delightful new commentary on the perils of our tech-obsessed lives and a fully charged romp for readers of all ages.

Genres: Picture Books, Humor, Childrens, Fiction, Technology, Animals, Adventure

40 pages, Hardcover

First published October 21, 2014

About the author

ANN DROYD is the author of Goodnight iPad, and is also the pseudonym for David Milgrim, an IRA/CBC Children’s Choice winner who has written and illustrated more than twenty-five picture books for young readers, as well as Siri & Me. Milgrim, who studied graphic design at Parsons, lives with his family in Massachusetts.

Reviews

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yeah, I admit it's a pet peeve of mine, seeing someone surrounded by other people, friends, loved ones and strangers...yet, that person is oblivious to it all because they're staring down at a tablet or phone. The peeve morphs into pure ire when I see parents ignoring their children in favor of more important happenings online. As the mother of grown sons I can tell you - your kids are only there for a short while.

PAY ATTENTION TO THEM!

In this cautionary tale, a little mouse's total absorption with an iPhone leads him into all sorts of misadventures...all of which he misses because he can't tear his eyes from the screen.

Listen to Fred Armisen read the story - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3nVx...

Then, if you haven't seen it yet, watch - "Look up" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZS9Wt...

Then turn off your electronic device and GO THE HELL OUTSIDE!

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

A funny and effective warning about too much screen time.

[Ms. B · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was cute, more to come. If you know the mouse from the classic If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and . .
. . if you want him to forget about the cookie; give him an iPhone. He'll be so involved with his game (or other activity on the phone) that he'll forget about the cookie.

[Krissy · Rating 4 out of 5]

My son really enjoyed this. He especially loved that Applesauce was playing minecraft since that is one of my son's favorite games. We had a lot of fun with this book :)

[Yvonne Mullen · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun twist on a very familiar book. I like the repetition of language for beginning to transitional readers. The story could easily be read to beginning readers and then they would be able to "read" the story back. That is how many students begin reading.

The story could easily be used for:
*teaching predictions
*using technology purposefully
*adding dialogue through speech bubbles (great way to teach k-2 student about *dialogue and then transition into using quotation marks)
*using different types of punctuation (?, !, ...) how to use in writing and how we "read" the punctuation to increase student fluency
*partner reading (1. narrator 2. boy)
*contractions
*text to self connections
*comparing/contrasting two stories
*the dedication is perfect for any age to read... 45 drafts! All students need to be taught and retaught that good writing rarely if ever happens the first time.
It is great to have one text that can be used in so many ways. That is when it can truly becomes a mentor text.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book book was such an cute fluffy read. I was so interested in the story and what happen if you give a mouse an iPhone. The book is for my niece for Christmas. It’s true the book, people get so involved in their phone they never pay attention to anything around them, not even a mouse. This book is fun for all ages even me. Happy Reading!!

[Jovita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hysterical! Unfortunately, it's reality. This is why I refuse to get a smart phone. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this book.

[IvyInThePages · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rating: 2.75 leaves out of 5
Characters: 3/5
Cover: 2/5
Story: 3/5
Writing: 3/5
Genre: Children
Type: Book
Worth?: Yeah

[PopcornReads - MkNoah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book Review & Giveaway: Award-winning children’s picture book author and illustrator David Milgrim has a secret identity, Ann Droyd. But, ssssh, don’t tell anyone! In addition to his children’s books, David Milgrim wrote Siri & Me: A Modern Love Story. Ann Droyd has written a delightful bestselling parody, Goodnight iPad, and has just published a new tech parody, If You Give a Mouse an iPhone: A Cautionary Tale.

This is a very different book from the ones we normally review but I couldn’t resist when I saw it, being a bit of a techno addict myself. To make it even better, the publisher has provided us with a copy to use in a giveaway at http://popcornreads.com/?p=7865. We’re featuring it early enough that it can be shipped to the winner and wrapped up as a holiday gift for their favorite tech addict, young parent, or anyone of any age who might enjoy this ironic tale.

[Litsplaining · Rating 5 out of 5]

Parody of my favorite childhood book, If You Give A Mouse A Cookie and I absolutely loved it. I read it in the bookstore aisle, but would recommend it for the new age toddler who will probably be able to understand Mouse's struggles and adventure with astounding clearly.

[Runa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh, technophobic book playing into the idea that kids become mindless when they're given "screen time" no thank youuuu!

[Jeremy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun.

[Viviane Elbee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very funny twist on the If You Give a Mouse A Cookie book, and very relatable for anyone who knows someone addicted to phones / screen time. Kids and I giggled our way through.

[Jennifer Oberth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was hilarious!

[Oliver · Rating 5 out of 5]

2023 Reading Challenge #12: A kids book with a lesson you think adults could use a reminder of ☑

Although this book is obviously a kids’ book in style, I would argue that its primary audience is actually adults.

It is a great homage to Laura Numeroff’s 1985 classic, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, with its silliness and cuteness right on the mark. However, it simultaneously exists as a spoof of the “slippery slope” concept. And even better than the original, it teaches a valuable lesson: Parents don’t need screens to distract their children. As a father of two young children, I totally understand the temptation to short-term-problem-solve with phones/tablets/video game consoles/TVs, but in the long-term you’re preventing kids from developing patience, longer attention spans, situational awareness, conversational skills, and manners in general. Besides, kids will have more fun and make longer-lasting memories when they actually participate. I find it utterly depressing how many of my students can’t tell me anything they did over the weekend apart from playing their Nintendo Switch or watching TV.

The only thing I don’t love about the book is the genericization of Apple products. Not all smart phones are iPhones.

Hopefully kids might read this and decide for themselves that they don’t need to stare at a screen, but parents (and grandparents) are the ones conditioning them to bright, fast-flashing stimulation and desensitizing them to real life.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This demonstrates that you miss out on life when you are engrossed in screen time. Ann Droyd captures the essence of If You Give A Mouse A Cookie.

[Clara Garcia · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you Give a Mouse an iPhone is written by Ann Droyd also known as David Milgrim. This well-know author has written and illustrated more than 25 picture books. I read and accessed this book on youtube for the purpose of this assignment. I think these books are a lot of fun for young readers who are captivated by mischievous little mouse and all his funny experiences. The story takes mouse on adventures from his home to the amusement park where he lets all the animals free then ends up in the sea that leads him to an island. Eventually his iphone runs out of battery and he looses his cool but soon forgets all about it. The book uses repetition to reinforce sight words like ever, no, and please. I can also see this book being used in the classroom to teach sequencing and/or cause and effect.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love parodies. Even parodies of something that I love, so when I saw this parody of a fave story of 7 year old me, I picked it up right away. I really identified with the kid (basically me) in the story who just wanted his oblivious mouse Applesauce (basically any of my 4 kids) to get his nose out of his device for a while and enjoy what's happening around him. I read it to Jesse last night and the message may have been lost on him, who knows. He seemed to think about for a bit afterwards, which is really the whole point for both parent and kid to stew on for a bit.

[❤Marie Gentilcore · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was very happy to receive this nice hard back picture book from Goodreads First Reads. The kids (girl 8 and boy 9) and I read it today and they both gave it 5 stars! They each took a turn reading it and then I read it too. It is a parody of the "If you give a mouse a ..." books and it had a good message about the consequences of too much screen time. The illustrations were colorful and fun and the kids loved reading the character's speech bubbles as well as the story. 5 stars for all 3 of us.

[Nancy Kotkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clever parody. I can't help wondering if the people who don't like this book are the same people I see glued to their phone while out with friends, crossing the street, DRIVING...

Personally I think this is a critically important message for today's electronically-saturated world. Very realistic how the mouse is initially given a time limit, but then the addiction takes over, causing him to lose control and common sense.

[Jan Polep · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect book for the baby to dead crowd...which means all of you. Put the phone down once in awhile or you will miss zoo animal escapes, fall in the sea, and wind up having a meltdown when you wind up on a desert island with no electricity. Play outside...read a book...lunch with friends...live a little. And check out the author's name.

[Allison Hawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this book up while wandering around Hastings looking for Christmas gifts. This is a very cute spin on a children's classic ("If You Give a Mouse a Cookie").

I would highly suggest this book for parents wanting to explain to their kids why they shouldn't get a cell phone right away.

[Mrs Mommy Booknerd http://mrsmommybooknerd.blogspot.com · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could not love this book more. It is a great story about how technology can take over and put children in a trance where they miss out on so much around them. I read this book to my boys and they also loved it. What a great spin on our new world of technology. 5 stars

[kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic! Everyone, please get off your iPhones and read this book :-)

[Brittany · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was TOTALLY let down by this book. You can't just make me think it will be like the Laura Numeroff books and then drop the ball like that. Geez!

[Jasmine Cardenas · Rating 1 out of 5]

What is this? Worse book ever

[Lizzy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book out loud to several groups of kindergarteners. I picked it because we were talking about technology and digital citizenship, so I was trying to choose read-alouds that were within that theme.

This book follows the "if you give a... then..." format. Except instead this time the story is a cautionary tale about how technology distracts us from all the cool stuff around us. I don't have a snappy title for this phrase yet, but I think this story falls into the category of "boomer technology perception". The human character never asks the mouse to get off the phone or attempts to engage the mouse other than saying his name a few times.

Maybe it's too much to be asking for a nuanced perception of technology from a picture book, but I feel like there could have been more done here. Instead of just "technology bad, technology distracting" it could have been worthwhile to explore what exactly the mouse was doing that was so engaging. At the zoo/amusement park there could have been a chance to show how a phone can be used to research how rides work and more information about the animals, but instead it was all about how not paying attention to your surroundings because of technology can get you into danger.

This book feels like a quick cash grab parody, when it could have been thoughtful and genuine. Instead it falls flat. I will not be using it as a read-aloud again.

[Baylor Herring · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary: If You Give a Mouse an iPhone, by Ann Droyd, is a comical book about the negatives of being too plugged in to an iPhone. Applesauce, the little mouse, begs for time on an iPhone. After receiving the iPhone, Applesauce is no longer aware of his surroundings. From going on a surprise trip, to riding a roller coaster, to falling into the sea, to getting stranded on an island, Applesauce was fully plugged into the iPhone. Eventually, the iPhone lost all battery, and Applesauce started to freak out… until he realized where he was. After the realization, he became fully plugged into the time with his owner.
Analysis: I absolutely love this book. I grew up loving If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff, and this was just a fun play off of it with a twist. It is a relevant version of our generation today. It is cute, funny, and enjoyable. I recommend this book to any elementary age, even as an easy read, because of how relatable it is.
How could I use this: I would love to have this book, as well as the original books, in my classroom library. This book is just a fun read to do in class, but still having a strong lesson with it. With our generation now, we are so invested in technology that we don’t experience the true fun being stuck behind a screen.

[Steve Holden · Rating 4 out of 5]

I spent September 22 enjoying a PD day at my school, and I attended a workshop of a colleague of mine who presented on digital citizenship. She ended her presentation with a list of books to be used with kids that promote digital citizenship and have a technology theme in them. She had some of the books on hand, and I enjoyed reading them. This will begin a run of a new theme for the remainder of my September books to catch up on!

This one is a hysterical parody of the classic tale, and it certainly hits home! I feel this is a great idea for kids - that you have to manage yourself with technology and still take in your surroundings - whether at home, school, or elsewhere. I feel this is even a good one for a lot of adults. I'm guilty too with a Smartphone and being too reliant on instaneous news and updates from everything and everyone, and being unable to sit alone by myself for too long without "checking in" on something. So many adults get consumed with these to the point that it's their most personable relationship.

This is definitely a great cautionary tale with a lot of relatable humor!

[Maddie Adams]

If you give a mouse an iPhone by Ann Droyd is a renewed and more modern take on the original book, If you give a mouse a cookie. This book tells the story of the consequences giving into temptation and also the consequences of being too consumed in a phone to enjoy experiences with friends. The mouse who's name is applesauce goes through the day causing problems without being aware he's doing so. Only when the phone dies does he truly enjoy time with his friend

This book was alright. i cant really say i liked or disliked it. Though i grew up on the original i do think this book does a good job and making it more relatable to the generation. The illustrations weren't near as cute though.

Educational wise, i think this shows an example to kids of being present! which today is incredibly hard for almost all of us. In schools, phone interruptions in the classroom have never been more of a problem. Awareness of surroundings is nonexistent. Technology is becoming so easily accessible that its becoming addictive. This book is also a nice easy read for lower level students and entertaining.