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A Kid's TV Guide: A Children's Book about Watching TV Intelligently
Discusses some of the good and bad aspects of television and points out safety factors to observe while watching television, how to choose a suitable program, and how to adopt a critical approach to commercials.
128 pages, Library Binding
First published January 1, 1979
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 7, 2014
This was an interesting thrift store find. I was actually very excited to find it; you don't find books like this very often! It was published in 1979, so the illustrations are definitely dated. It's discussing technology that has far advanced from where it was when the book was written, but the principles still apply today.
Here are the chapters which give a good outline of what the book is about:
1 - Watching TV Can Be Harmful
2 - Watching TV Can Be Helpful
3 - Watching TV Moderately
4 - Watching TV Safely (This means the physical aspects like not watching TV in a completely dark room.)
5 - Choosing the Right Programs to Watch on TV (This talks about analyzing what is happening in the programs, and deciding if it is something you should be watching or not.)
6 - Watching TV Commercials Critically
7 - Conclusion
What I like about this book is that the book emphasizes that YOU should be in control, not the TV and that it is just a machine that you have the power to turn on or off. I also like that it explains clearly how TV can be harmful or helpful depending on how it is used. The safety aspects of TV were not something I had consciously considered before, so I felt that was an important addition to the book. I really appreciated how the author talks about choosing the right programs to watch on TV. The ideals align with mine when it comes to programs that are appropriate for children, but it's possible some parents might not agree with the author's perspective. I think a very important part of the book is the 6th chapter on watching commercials critically. How many children are taught to do such a thing? We usually just let commercials wash over us and our children accepting them as an inevitable part of watching television, but when do we actually critically analyze the messages being pounded into our brains? Excellent food for thought and discussion material.
The book is a bit long, but my 7-year-old son, of his own choice, pulled it off the shelf and looked through half of it before I came a long and read it to him. The illustrations are appropriate and help the reader better understand the concepts discussed. Part of the pictures are in color, but most of them are black & white.
This is a great book with valid, important concepts to talk about with children and TV usage. Even though this was published in the late '70s, it is a vitally important topic, especially in our more media-saturated society today.
Here are the chapters which give a good outline of what the book is about:
1 - Watching TV Can Be Harmful
2 - Watching TV Can Be Helpful
3 - Watching TV Moderately
4 - Watching TV Safely (This means the physical aspects like not watching TV in a completely dark room.)
5 - Choosing the Right Programs to Watch on TV (This talks about analyzing what is happening in the programs, and deciding if it is something you should be watching or not.)
6 - Watching TV Commercials Critically
7 - Conclusion
What I like about this book is that the book emphasizes that YOU should be in control, not the TV and that it is just a machine that you have the power to turn on or off. I also like that it explains clearly how TV can be harmful or helpful depending on how it is used. The safety aspects of TV were not something I had consciously considered before, so I felt that was an important addition to the book. I really appreciated how the author talks about choosing the right programs to watch on TV. The ideals align with mine when it comes to programs that are appropriate for children, but it's possible some parents might not agree with the author's perspective. I think a very important part of the book is the 6th chapter on watching commercials critically. How many children are taught to do such a thing? We usually just let commercials wash over us and our children accepting them as an inevitable part of watching television, but when do we actually critically analyze the messages being pounded into our brains? Excellent food for thought and discussion material.
The book is a bit long, but my 7-year-old son, of his own choice, pulled it off the shelf and looked through half of it before I came a long and read it to him. The illustrations are appropriate and help the reader better understand the concepts discussed. Part of the pictures are in color, but most of them are black & white.
This is a great book with valid, important concepts to talk about with children and TV usage. Even though this was published in the late '70s, it is a vitally important topic, especially in our more media-saturated society today.
May 23, 2013
Such a great book for kids and adults to read together!! Joy Berry has a wonderful way of bringing things to a kids level to help them understand things better. Sometimes as an adult we forget kids see and process the world differently than us.
Beautifully illustrated to help kids pay attention while learning valuable life lessons!
This series is wonderful for any home or classroom! I want them for he community center where I work!! I am also thrilled they are being made available as ebooks!!
Beautifully illustrated to help kids pay attention while learning valuable life lessons!
This series is wonderful for any home or classroom! I want them for he community center where I work!! I am also thrilled they are being made available as ebooks!!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews