Her Idea
Rilla Alexander
Flying Eye Books
Sozi is quite evidently a creative character; ideas simply burst forth from her head so that she feels overwhelmed much of the time. Time however is her problem – or rather procrastination, if we apply the Edward Young adage, ‘Procrastination is the thief of time.’ Consequently, not acted upon, Sozi’s ideas slip away one by one, leaving her an empty-headed, weeping heap. That is until a kindly passer by – fortuitously fleet of foot – chases an idea, eventually entrapping it securely.

Spurred on by his example, Sozi joins the chase and the two not only discover and catch ideas everywhere but other useful stuff as well.
Then, with a clear mind and happy heart young Sozi sets off on a project, a book project no less. The beginning and middle are dealt with comparatively easily but what about that elusive ending? Well, that’s left to her ideas book friend.

And a pretty satisfying one it is too.

As someone who is always going on about giving children opportunities to unleash their creativity, this really made me smile. And as one who has also tried to write stories, it rings uncomfortably true. It’s such a clever idea and so forcefully conveyed through Rilla’s rhythmic narrative and striking illustrations. Her use of a limited colour palette heightens the drama

and helps make the book more memorable. I like the die-cut covers too. All in all, this allegorical tale within a tale is another demonstration of the fact that when you have a Flying Eye book in your clutches, you know you’re handling quality. I’d suggest over 6s at least for this one.

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