Review: If I Were Prime Minister


All of us wish at some point to be someone other than who we are, ostensibly to improve our lot or in the case of our young protagonist in this spirited new picture book by Trygve Skaug and Ella Okstad, improve the world around him. If I Were Prime Minister invites us to join in the fantasy and appreciate the way a child-run community could be deployed.

Pulsing with dynamic prose that weaves whimsically above and throughout each spread, If I Were Prime Minister, delivers a visual eye-fest of stimulating images each dutifully depicting our erstwhile prime minister's litany of promises.

These include guarantees of a swimming pool in every garden, libraries open every day, extra screen time (ahem), spontaneous fireworks, cleaner oceans, and my personal favourite, compulsory playtime as a subject taught to adults (who arguably have forgotten how to play). 

This fun foray into fantastical, impulsive desire is more than a catalogue of wishful thinking. It subtly reflects the wonderfully simple workings of a child's mind and poses the question as to why we can't change to accommodate a more interesting enjoyable existence; one a child might actually benefit from and relish, as well. I mean have you ever wondered exactly why grown-ups almost always write in blue or black? 

Streets ...  paved with trampolines aside, this joyous little experience sews a few worldly themes into its heart and encourages littlies to think outside their boxes of 'everyday-ordinary' towards a future that quite possibly could embrace the Goldilocks notion of everything being just right; neither too hot nor too cold and definitely without those yucky brown bits on bananas!

Glorious smudges and swirls of primary colours create a crayon-box of joie de vivre, the exact kind a child would scribble down themselves when formalising their important intentions, like being the world's 'Team Captain'! 

If you have a globally conscious or politically minded youngster in the making or just a child who enjoys serene speculation, snuggle up with If I Were Prime Minister, today. 

Title: If I Were Prime Minister
Author: Trygve Skaug
Illustrator: Ella Okstad
Publisher: Lanana Publishing, $24.99
Publication Date: 26 May 2026
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781915244451
For ages: 3 - 7
Type: Picture Book

Translated by: Rosie Hedger

Buy the Book: Simon & Schuster         


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