Bored by Felicita Sala

The listless shape draped over a pile of cushions will speak to many readers as they have all had a time when they just have nothing to do. Rita is so bored that she cannot read or write or draw. She is so bored she does not feel hungry something she can usually do with ease. She jumps to and fro in front of ht mirror in case something appears to ease her boredom, her brother thinks she is wild as she yawns through her boredom. 

She wonders what other bored people in the world do. She imagines them all getting on a bus and like Rita are full of yawns.  But their yawns make them swell up like balloons and they float out of the bus into the sky. As some of the yawns leak out they fall onto an island, Bored Island. Here they found things to do, one woman creates a sculpture, several people form a band while one young man turns his yawn into a yodel, attracting the attention of a passing whale. One person plays I Spy and finds several new galaxies. Others try out new things, and when Mum calls Rita down for dinner, Rita yells back that she is far too busy.

This wonderful story will engage readers as they recognise that they too have times when thye feel a little bored, and like Rita become so involved with something, that they are absorbed, bored no longer. 

Self taught illustrator, Felicita is Italian, living and working in Rome. Her books have won awards around the globe for their whimsical and funny look at childhood. She comes at themes from a different perspective, one which involves children from the start, as they recognise a situation they have all experienced. With boredom, there is no adult telling her to snap out of it, or make suggestions which are not pleasurable, but Felicita leaves Rita to her own devices, using her imagination to develop a world of interest and fascination. 

I love the front cover - how often have we felt just like Rita, listless, disinterested and bored. And the image of the bored people floating above the bus, settling down on Bored Island, where they all use their imaginations to fill their time is hilarious. 

This is a wonderful book full of fun and off beat humour, sure to tickle the funny bones of all readers, bored or not, as they ponder how they fill their time.

Themes: Boredom, Imagination, Activity.

Fran Knight