A FOREWORD INDIES 2024 FINALIST FOR PICTURE BOOKS! In a world captivated by screens, Look Up!: Fontaine the Pigeon Starts a Revolution offers a refreshing and timely reminder of the importance of unplugging and reconnecting with the world around us. Fontaine, a determined and witty pigeon, grows tired of seeing people glued to their devices. He gathers a band of bird allies to spark a playful yet powerful movement that encourages everyone to look up, embrace nature, and foster real human connections. Written in lyrical verse and paired with whimsical illustrations, this delightful picture book delivers a heartfelt message with humor and charm. Perfect for Storytime, Look Up! not only entertains but also serves as a gentle wake-up call for readers young and old to reconsider their relationship with technology. Key Features: Relevant and timely theme : Addresses society's overreliance on technology and screens in an approachable, lighthearted manner. Engaging narrative : Told in lyrical verse, making it enjoyable to read aloud. Vibrant illustrations : Quirky, expressive artwork that enhances the story's humor and message. Conversation starter : Encourages families to discuss the importance of balancing screen time with real-world experiences. Suitable for all ages : Perfect for young readers, parents, and educators looking for a fun yet thought-provoking read. With Look Up!: Fontaine the Pigeon Starts a Revolution , children will laugh, learn, and be inspired to put down their devices and explore the world around them. Lexile: AD520L Poo on you! Literally. Fontaine the pigeon is fed up with screen-obsessed humans’ obliviousness to the world, so he convenes a meeting of the birds. Their unanimous decision: Drop poo on malefactors who glance down at phones. “Targets” will be forced to look up after bombardment! Following the first “hit,” a mother quickly glances up, curious about “that bizarre scream,” because Fontaine has issued a battle cry―“VIVA LA REVOLUTION!” No screen remains untouched because, when someone glances down, “a glob of bird poop” knocks their phone to the ground. Finally, a child says, “I think these birds want us to give these phones a rest.” Everyone realizes they’ve forgotten nature, the importance of using their words―and each other. The moral: Thank the birds, and “when you are outside, keep your phone in your pocket…and your eyes up and wide.” Children will giggle at this tongue-in-cheek rhyming tale, set in New Orleans, and will hopefully get the point, which applies to adults, too: Screen time should be minimized and engaging with the world optimized. While the consequences outlined here are mined for exaggerated humor, this serious idea should spark conversations. The colorful, graphic novel–like illustrations are appealing and incorporate creative typefaces and speech bubbles; human characters are diverse. Much-needed encouragement to look up and see the world! (Picture book. 5-8) LOOK UP!: Fontaine the Pigeon Starts a Revolution By Britt Gondolfi; illustrated by Amanda Romanick Publishers Weekly April 25, 2024 Avian allies find an inventive way to disrupt screen time in this uneven picture book. On the streets of New Orleans, “Everyone was looking down.// All around, faces faced the ground,” and when humans try to look up, “RING DING BUZZ/ their heads got stuck” in their devices. From the power lines above, roosting birds, many wearing human accessories, wonder “what happened to the world they loved.” Change is soon on the wing when pigeon Fontaine, who sports an orange beanie, “got so tired of all the insanity./ He dreamed up all the ways/ he could wake up humanity.” He soon enlists the other birds, and the group determines that “each time one of them saw a screen,/ they all let loose/ a natural stream.” Following Fontaine’s cry of “VIVA LA REVOLUTION!” the birds nail their targets until a child suggests, “I think these birds want us to give these phones a rest.” Verse lines by Gondolfi don’t always scan in this lengthy work of fowl play, but Romanick’s fluid, black-lined illustrations lend a street-smart tone to the cautionary tale. Humans are portrayed with various body types and skin tones. Ages 5–7. (Apr.) LOOK UP!: Fontaine the Pigeon Starts a Revolution By Britt Gondolfi; illustrated by Amanda Romanick Booklist April 1, 2024 A pigeon in New Orleans named Fontaine organizes the other birds in a fight against cell phone overuse in this comic urban fable. Although the author does not make this explicit, the pigeon seems to be named after Jean de La Fontaine, the famous seventeenth-century French poet and author of animal fables. The opening, in which people in a crowded street scene are all looking down at their phones, is followed by a bird's-eye view of the downturned heads. Fontaine and the other birds on the power line are disgusted by the way humans ignore their surroundings. An emergency avian meeting leads to a dive-bombing campaign,