TV Monster - Hardcover

Rosalind Barden

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0517569345 ISBN 13: 9780517569344

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers, 1988

Synopsis

A young boy turns into a TV monster after watching too much television and is mistaken for Colonel Bop by aliens who take him aboard their flying saucer and whisk him into outer space.

About this title

From School Library Journal:

Kindergarten-Grade 3-- A young boy watches so much television that he turns into a TV monster. The crew of an alien spaceship mistakes the boy for their long lost commander, Colonel Bop. They grab the boy, his dog, and the TV and blast off to their planet, where the boy/monster inexplicably regains his human identity. He rescues his dog and they escape in a vehicle from the used-ship lot. They are able to ward off the pursuing aliens with a television sacrifice. The boy and his dog return to Earth to live happily-ever-after without a TV. If it sounds too outlandish, incredible, and exaggerated to be even slightly amusing, it is. Cartoon-style line-and-wash paintings are as lackluster and unimaginative as the pedestrian text and silly plot. Children, whether TV addicts or not, won't be entertained or convinced of the dangers of television. They certainly won't be sold on books as enjoyment after reading this one. For picture books with an anti-television theme, consider David McPhail's Fix-It (Dutton, 1984) or Dan West's The Day the TV Blew Up (Albert Whitman, 1988). --Heide Piehler, Shorewood Public Library, Wis.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Publishers Weekly:

The narrator of Barden's first picture book is a former TV addict chastened by the near-disaster his constant viewing has occasioned. He relates how he became enamored of the set to the exclusion of all else, finally turning into a "TV monster." Aliensmistaking him for one of their ownsweep him, his dog and his TV away to outer space. Pried from the set for a moment, he reverts to his boyish form, and he and his dog make a timely escape. Barden shows promise as an illustrator: her loosely limned renderings complement the story's tongue- in-cheek humor and provide many funny details of their own. However, the plot is slight and obvious, and lacks the focus that would make this fully satisfying. The design scheme, which often encloses two or more scenes within a single border, provides unnecessary visual confusion. For a cautionary tale about the perils of too much TV, David McPhail's Emma has more substance, staying power and warmth. Ages 3-6.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 1988
• ISBN 10: 0517569345
• ISBN 13: 9780517569344
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32