Nothing! by Yasmeen Ismail
Bloomsbury, 2016. ISBN 9781408873366
(Age: 4+) Recommended. Imagination. When Lila is asked a question
about what she is doing, she replies 'Nothing!' twirling a piece of
paper, or eating a crumbly biscuit, but the illustrations belie what
she has said. Turning the page we see the wildest of images, as she
turns the thing she is playing with into the most imaginative of
quests, facing a fearsome beastie, tumbling over an elephant's back
in a circus or climbing the Eiffel Tower with a young girl in her
arms. Each image is extreme in its depiction as she conquers one
thing after another, finally meeting her grandfather and telling him
about the wonderful adventures she has been having and inviting him
along. And just like all good grandpas, he follows her into one of
her adventures.
A delightful story of imagination and adventure, Lila does things
that are out of the ordinary, turning small things into brave
adventures, risking life and limb to take more risks, taking a road
into uncertainty. With bright, swirling illustrations to attract the
reader, Lila's story is a wonderful homage to imagination and taking
a risk, even if only in thought. Turning the ordinary into something
fabulous, the little mundane things into tall towers and circus
animals, all are designed to capture a reader's imagination. The water
colour swirls are wonderful, capturing Lila's excitement as she lets
her imagination soar.
Fran Knight