'A quest for screen-free family time leads to camping chaos in this hilarious and heartwarming comedy from the author of Anisha, Accidental Detective.
'Sonal needs to capture a great family picture for her school photography project but it’s impossible when everyone’s always so busy! Luckily they’re heading off on a family camping trip which should provide lots of great photo opportunities … shouldn’t it? Faced with an enforced digital detox, will Sonal’s family come together and have fun … or will the trip end in complete disaster?'
It almost feels like a cliche at this point in time, families failing to find time together in a meaningful way. It changes over time, with different things being blamed for it, whether that be work commitments, after school clubs, TV, but in the modern age electronic devices are the bane of family life it seems; with people lamenting the fact that people used to talk to each other before mobile phones and smart devices took over. Whilst I'm not going to argue that these devices are innocent, people have always found ways to stay in their own little bubble even when amongst friends and family. It's just when that's all that happens that things become a problem.
In Picture Perfect Sonal, a young girl from a family that's always busy, needs to take a series of photos for a school project; photos that show her family life. This should be easy, a few seconds to grab a photo here and there. But, Sonal keeps running into trouble as her father is always making work call or sending emails, her brother is always playing games, and her sister is constantly on social media. She feels like things are hopeless, and wants to give up as she fails to get the photos that she needs time and time again. The only member of the family who seems to take the time to even care is Nanna, her grandfather.
Seeing that Sonal is struggling, that her family's inability to even pose together for a photo has hurt her, Nanna sets out to make it so the family has to spend some quality time together. Buying a tent online, and booking a camping site, he tells the family that they're heading out for the weekend, and that they will have to leave their devices behind. What follows is a weekend of ups and downs, where the family end up getting on each others nerves, but also discovering how much fun can be had just by spending time together as a family.
Picture Perfect is an enjoyable story about a family relearning to spend some time together, to slow down and to appreciate each others company and learning that even the simplest activity can be enjoyable when you do it with people that you love. In an age where more and more people seem to be decrying the prevalence of mobile devices, this kind of story might appeal to parents trying to get their kids to put their electronics down for a bit.
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