Unplugged

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.)