A Hoover teacher and his wife have penned a book about what children might be missing because they are glued to their digital devices.
Blake Gilchrist, a physical education teacher at Riverchase Elementary School, and Erin Gilchrist, a teacher in Trussville, recently held a book signing for their book “T.J. Put Your Phone Away.”
Scores of students, faculty, staff and parents turned out to meet the authors and learn about the book’s message at a book signing at Riverchase Elementary School.
“My wife and I talked about writing a children’s book for a while, but we wanted to write about something relevant and original. So we came up with the idea about a boy who misses out on the real world because he is always playing on his phone,” Blake said. “Then we just started throwing ideas and different scenarios around until we came up with a good storyline and characters.”
The Gilchrists said the book was written in response to a generation of kids and adults that revolves around digital technology. Through T.J.’s journey, a family learns that it’s important to remember to live life and experience things rather than staying “plugged in” all the time, according to a synopsis of the book on Amazon.
Though the book is geared toward a younger audience, the authors said its message resonates just as much with adults.
“The book is a great lesson for all ages,” Blake said. “We thought it would be a fun way to teach a lesson about personal interactions for parents and children.”
The Gilchrists spent about a year writing and illustrating the book, which was published by Crest Publishers.
Erin said the book offers important lessons for parents and their children in this digital age.
“It’s for people, like us, so overwhelmingly consumed with our handheld devices, social media and communications via the Internet that we often forget human interaction and what it’s like to live off-screen,” Erin said. “The small lessons that can be taught to a child about manners, paying attention to the people you love, the respect of personal interactions and the importance of relationships are lessons that we all need to be reminded of, no matter the age.”
“T.J. Put Your Phone Away” is available at http://crestpublishers.com.
