Review: What Do You Do With An Idea?
My latest workshops cover these
precise quandaries focusing on what ideas become…why marvellous stories of
course! Stories themselves illustrate this point best which is why I was
delighted beyond words to unearth this gem, What
Do You Do With An Idea?
by the quietly brilliant award winning, Kobi Yamada and Mae Besom.
This book embraces the notion that
everything, every single thing, you see and experience around you was once an
idea; a huge concept that Yamada breaks down into an absorbing narrative
starring a humble idea and the little boy who discovers it.
At first the boy is incredulous.
Where did his idea come from? Why is it
here? And most exasperating, what should he do with it? He tries to ignore but
it clings to him as he trundles along in life refusing to remain at a sensible
distance. It demands food, playtime and most of all wants the boy’s attention,
a lot of attention.
Over time, the idea grows in stature
and presence. It also grows closer to the boy until a complicated friendship
is forged. The boy wants to share his idea but is afraid of the adverse
reactions of others. He is wounded by their rejections and cynisism but
realises that their opinions are just small thoughts that ultimately mean
nothing; what do they really know? It
is he who knows his idea best. He, who has nurtured it, nourished it and
entertained it so he turns his back on the detractors and vows to protect his
idea. Not only does he work with it, play with it and care for it, he gives it
all his attention until his love for it is all encompassing.
His idea encourages him to think big
and walk taller until he couldn’t imagine a world without it and then one day
something miraculous happens and the boy realises exactly what it is you do
with an idea.
This is the kind of book that
produces goose bumps as you read it. I shared it with my students and the
response was an electrifying silence as they listened enraptured by the text,
mesmerised by the soothing illustrations. To begin with, Besom’s artwork is a
harmonious surging sea of sepia browns and greys as the boy initially strives
to distance himself from his idea. Flecks of green suggest a tenuous bond
between the two that might grow. The idea itself is portrayed as a small golden
egg akin to the symbolic metaphor of a seed that I inadvertently used in my
sessions; something capable of great change and growth, of initiating
transformation. As their relationship evolves, so too does the colour palette.
Golds and aquas seep into the images alternatively bringing warmth and hope
until the final glorious burst of colour explodes across the pages and through
the boy’s transformed world.
What
Do You Do With An Idea?
is one of the several titles Yamada has penned with an existential
transcendental verve making it appealing to a wide audience, not just kids but
also adults and kids of higher thinking. It gives one the sense that it is
speaking directly to you, whether you are on the spectrum or simple
experiencing a little creative self-doubt. It is whimsy firmly anchored by
self-realisation and a beguiling positivity that makes your heart burst with
wonder and divine joy. It’s pure magic that leaves the next step up to you.
Powerful, personal, and sublime this story is a must experience Bodhi moment.
Title: What
Do You Do With An Idea?
Author: Kobi Yamada
Illustrator: Mae Besom
Publisher: Compendium, $41.51
Publication Date: February 2014
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781938298073
For ages: 7+
Type: Picture Book
Buy the
Book: Compendium, Boomerang Books
Comments