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 w...