Our Incredible Imagination

Helena Harastova is a writer, translator, and mother. She graduated in Dramaturgy from the Janacek Academy of Music and Performing Arts, having previously worked for the National Theatre in Brno, Czech Republic. Her most unusual pastime is proofreading texts for errors in spelling, grammar, and style.Dita Vopradova is a Czech illustrator celebrated for her playful drawings that delight children and adults alike. She creates illustrations for books and educational programs, including Toinou by Robert François and A River with Loose Hair by Honza Vojtko. Known for her detailed and colorful style, Dita studied art history with a focus on medieval art at Charles University. Finding inspiration in art, architecture, nature, and her daughter Anna, she lives in Prague.

"This book will help readers better understand the ways of the imagination and how to help it blossom into something even more engaging than before." —Beth Rodgers, YA Books Central"To explain to children how the brain works and what is imagination, is a difficult task. The author has done a masterful job of clarifying and simplifying a tough topic. As an adult, reading Our Incredible Imagination helped to clarify vague ideas and notions of what imagination is. The explanation is that “Imagination is the brain’s ability to VISUALIZE THINGS THAT ARE MISSING.” The following pages expand and explain this idea and show how musicians, artists, athletes and dancers, (to name a few) use imagination to further their goals. It is shown that you can visualise something real,or a wish, or something made up. Children have vivid imaginations, but often these fade as we get older. Artists often retain this strength as their mind is largely taken up with their art. Many questions are posed and answered. Can you train your imagination? Can it break down? Can imagination play a role in science? There are different kinds of imagination. An area of the brain switches off and on depending on whether you are thinking scientifically or daydreaming. When we are fearful our thoughts can be very frightening, but when the fridge is empty, our imagination helps us plan our meals and what food to buy. Some thoughts can be connected to a particular place. “That’s the Church I was married in.” There are automatic thoughts,when your alarm goes off for example, and thoughts that stay with us for life. After the table of contents, there is a page which tells about the author, has some tips on a deeper understanding, and references to finding other materials on the subject. Our Incredible Imagination is such a well thought out, brilliantly compiled book that it should be in every school and home." —Blue Wolf Reviews