Daisy McCray loves to surf, but when she reaches the beach the wind is all wrong and the waves are flat. She decides to sit in the shade, apply sunscreen and pick up her cellphone.

Glued to her phone as she checks through her apps, she doesn’t realise that the wind is changing and the tide is coming in….

Her board slides into the surf and out into the water at the pull of the tide. But as it goes it sweeps up a small boy working on a sandcastle. Off they go together into the rising waves!

Another boy is launching a kite, when whooosh! He is along for the ride.

Sandy is inflating a water board when whoosh! She joins the boys out in the water.

A grandmother is spear fishing when she sees the children on the runaway board. This nana is ready to jump into action to save them, and has a few tricks up her sleeve to get them back to the beach.

All the while, as her board and its occupants have the surfing adventure of their lives, Daisy McCray is still looking at her screen, oblivious to all that is happening in front of her. When she looks up again, her board is where she left it. She decides with a sigh that there won’t be any surfing for her today.

This story highlights our dependence on screens to entertain us even for only short periods of time. This often holds all of our attention, and we miss out on real life. Adults and children alike follow this behaviour, reaching for the easiest option to fill time.

With clear rhyming text, colourful illustrations, and an exciting plot, this picture book is a wonderful read with a clear message.

Look up – you could be missing something amazing!

Author – Nicole Miller

Illustrator – Lily Uivel

Picture Book

(2023, Little Love, NZ, New Zealand, Aotearoa, Surfing, Beach, Waves, Barrell, Hang ten, Sea, Ocean, Cellphone, Selfie, Missing Out, Grandmother, Nana, Loving the water, Screen Time, Devices, Experience real life, Attention)