Author-illustrator Peter H. Reynolds himself narrates (and is credited as animation director) this cartoon short, an adaptation of his 2021 picture-book narrative about a little girl named Violet alarmed at perceiving her family withdrawing from each other, lured by personal technology.
It is refreshing to see this well-mounted, attention-deficit-nose-in-your-device critique gently directed at all ages, not just youngsters in the target audience (which crosses racial boundaries nicely). Young Violet has warm memories of her parents and brother seated around the old family dinner table, but distractions of a flat-screen TV, smartphone, and internet now leave Violet alone. All the others go their separate ways, absorbed in electronic/digital content.
To Violet's astonishment, the old table responds by gradually shrinking in size, until it actually disappears. Even so, Violet comes up with a creative solution that restores the loving household. Some minimal computer animation brings Reynolds' original artwork to faithful life, and it is entirely possible moms and dads might well take home a lesson from the fable. The DVD has a "Read Along" feature, with words from the text highlighted.
What public library shelves would this title be on?
Our Table should be a must for J-collections in public and academic libraries, around K-Grade 3 level. Though there is no direct tie-in to any special occasion, themes of family togetherness synergize well with Thanksgiving/Christmas/Hanukkah/Diwali/Kwanzaa time.
What academic subjects would this film be suitable for?
For all its brevity, Our Table can also be recommended for human relations and family-oriented social work, based on creative problem-solving.