2014, Juvenile Fiction
WISE Score
A boy tries to ignore a golden-egg-shaped idea that follows him everywhere until he realizes that 'feeding' it changes everything.
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If you have a kid who draws on the walls, builds weird stuff in the backyard, or asks questions that make you pause, get this book. It is the ultimate manifesto for creative confidence.
It avoids the usual 'follow your dreams' clichés by acknowledging that having a new idea is actually kind of scary and awkward. The art is stunning, and the payoff is one of those rare moments in children's literature that feels earned rather than forced.
Best for ages 4 to 99. While it's a picture book, the 'don't let the world crush your spirit' message is basically a commencement speech that hits just as hard for adults as it does for preschoolers.
It is a purely positive, emotionally resonant story about nurturing creativity and self-confidence without any snark or mean-spiritedness.
The book turns the abstract concept of a 'thought' into a physical, walking companion, using visual metaphors to explain how creativity works.
There is zero problematic content. No violence, no language, and no scary themes beyond the mild anxiety of being judged by others.
It builds resilience and encourages kids to value their own unique perspectives even when others don't understand them.
Kobi Yamada and illustrator Mae Besom hit on something special here. Most 'creativity' books for kids focus on the act of making—painting a picture, building a robot. What Do You Do With an Idea? focuses on the internal life of a creator. It captures that specific social anxiety of having something you love and being terrified that someone will laugh at it.
The most effective part of the book is the color theory. It starts in a world of sketchy pencil grays. As the boy begins to care for his idea—represented as a crowned, golden egg on legs—color starts to bleed into the pages. By the end, the world is fully saturated. It’s a sophisticated way to show a kid that their internal world actually dictates how they see the external world.
While the text is simple enough for a four-year-old, the 'Idea' series (which includes What Do You Do With a Problem? and What Do You Do With a Chance?) has become a staple for older kids and even graduation gifts. It’s a great 'reset' book for a kid who is struggling with school-induced perfectionism or who has stopped taking creative risks because they're afraid of being wrong.
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