What Do You Do with an Idea?

Author: Kobi Yamada

Illustrator: Mae Besom

Publisher: Compendium, Inc.

Publication Year: 2013

ISBN-13: 978-1938298073

What Do You Do with an Idea? presents an inspirational message for students.

In this book, Kobi Yamada writes the story of a boy who has a brilliant idea. He first tries to ignore it, but finds that the idea follows him. Later, after he accepts the idea, others disapprove and the boy almost leaves it behind. Eventually, the boy's confidence grows, and with it the idea.

Yamada writes this story almost as a procedural text. The illustrations and language of the book make it easily accessible to its audience. While it may not represent a traditional procedural text with very specific steps, this one still leads audiences to imagine how to go through the same process with their own ideas.

Awards:

Gold medal winner of the Independent Publishers Award, the Washington State Book Award, and the Moonbeam Children's Book Award.

Children's Book Review:
"What makes this message so unique is the simple but beautiful way it's delivered, in narrative and illustration, through the eyes and voice of an innocent and hopeful child. What Do You Do With An Idea? is a spectacular book for all ages and is a wonderful treasure for any home or school library." 

For gifted students, What Do You Do with an Idea? acts as an inspiration to work hard at developing their own ideas. This non-traditional procedural text helps teach gifted students how to make a decision about sticking with an idea. It shows them that they should expect others to disapprove and push through that. It also reiterates the fact that they will need to work on their idea to improve it.

In the classroom, this book works wonderfully with the Design Process or in conjunction with an introduction to Genius Hour.