Ollie Outside: Screen-Free Fun

Ollie has a big imagination and big plans for summer. But no one in his family wants to go outside and play. Dad is sending emails, Mom is watching TV, Ollie’s siblings are playing video games and texting—even Gram and Gramps are too busy downloading photos. Too much screen time! How can Ollie get his family to shut off their gadgets and play together?

In our technology-focused world, more kids than ever turn to screens for information and entertainment, just like their parents. By the time children are eight, they spend seven or more hours a day with screens and electronics. Ollie Outside invites kids and parents to read together, get outdoors, and focus on family fun. Tips at the end of the book reinforce this message.

Michael Oberschneider, Psy.D., is a clinical psychologist and the founder and director of Ashburn Psychological and Psychiatric Services, a private mental health practice located in Northern Virginia.

He has been featured as a mental-health expert on CNN, Good Morning America, and other popular media outlets, and he has written articles for several news agencies, including The Washington Post. Dr. Oberschneider has also received Washingtonian Magazine’s “Top Therapist” honor for his work with children and adolescents.

He lives in Leesburg, Virginia, with his wife Liz, and two children, Ava and Otto.

Guy Wolek grew up just outside Chicago. He drew constantly; if his parents took away his paper, he would draw on newspapers, inside the covers of books, wherever there was blank space. To this day, some of his parents’ books still have his art—so he can say his art has been in books since he was four!

While growing up, Guy was focused on things other than art, until his first job after graduating high school convinced him to go to art school. He attended the American Academy of Art in Chicago and landed his first job as a professional artist with a portfolio he put together in a weekend. Over his thirty-five-year career, Guy has done everything from working as a courtroom sketch artist, to illustrating children’s books, to developing characters for animation.

A father and grandfather, he lives in Southern California with his wife of over thirty years.